


Mrs. & Mrs. Kang

by smolwndy



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alpha Seulgi, Alpha Wendy, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Ceo Irene, F/F, G!P, Omega Irene, Omega Verse, Omega Yeri, ceo seulgi, i love the girls, i miss wendy, inspired by that one seulgi outfit, main joygi, maybe steamy in later chapters hekhek, model joy, more tags soon!!, omega joy, side wenrene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24520510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolwndy/pseuds/smolwndy
Summary: Two different people from two different worlds. It took one marriage for their lives to intertwine.[ i suck at summaries i know :') ][ a.k.a. arranged marriage au bc joy's parents are broke and seulgi's dad is an ass ]
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy, Kang Seulgi/Park Sooyoung | Joy
Comments: 40
Kudos: 153





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> welcome!! this is my first multi-chapter and red velvet fic!! please go easy on me hehehehe criticism and comments are greatly appreciated!!!
> 
> also,,, shameless plug but let's talk in twt if you want 👉👈 (@smolwndyl)

“Joy, please—“

“I’m sorry, Mark, but we’re over.”

“Joy, you just can’t do this to me.”

Joy smiled, though there was no mirth in her eyes, and looked over her shoulder. “I just did.”

Joy walked away before the beta boy could argue back, heels clicking against the tiled floor. She immediately fished her phone out of her pocket as she felt a vibration, and answered the call.

“Park Sooyoung!” Joy winced at the loud voice, smiling wryly at the worry and panic she heard. “Where the hell are you? You have a photoshoot in an hour!”

“Don’t worry, Wendy-unnie! I’m on my way.” It was a lie, of course. Joy knew that her best friend already knew that, judging from the loud, exasperated sigh she heard from the other line. She could imagine the older girl sitting on a chair with her free hand massaging her temple, and she bit back a giggle. “I just had to deal with something, that’s all.”

 _Or_ someone _, rather_.

“You broke up with Mark,” Wendy said, more of a statement than a question. Joy opened her car and quickly went inside.

“Yeah,” she muttered absentmindedly as she placed her bag by the passenger seat. “I told you last night that I was going to break up with him.”

“I thought things were going well with him?”

“Yeah, things were okay.” Joy nodded and hummed, though she knew the older girl couldn’t see her. “It was getting boring.”

She heard Wendy laugh. “You really are something else, Park Sooyoung.”

Joy started the car, grinning to herself.

“I try my best, unnie.”

* * *

“You’re late, Park Sooyoung!”

Sooyoung looked at the older girl scolding her, amused that a shorter hamster was lecturing her about punctuality and being early with her very animated expressions and hand gestures.

Son Seungwan, or Wendy, as Joy often called her, was her senior by a year and her best friend for life. She met the older girl back when she was still training to become a model. Wendy, at that time, was working in Sooyoung’s company, as a fresh intern who came from a prestigious school in the US. When Sooyoung heard that a foreigner was working in their company, she immediately took interest and decided to befriend the older girl.

“Hello!” Sooyoung greeted. _She’s so pretty,_ she couldn’t help but think as she watched the red-haired woman, who she assumed was the new intern, turn around in her chair. “Are you Miss Seungwan?”

“I go by Wendy but yes, that’s me.” Seung— _Wendy_ chuckled. “And who is this pretty young lady?”

“I’m Sooyoung!” Sooyoung grinned, cheeks blushing at the compliment. “I’m training as a model.”

“Oh, a model.” Wendy nodded, before adding, “No wonder why you’re so beautiful and tall. Say, why are you here?”

Sooyoung froze at the compliment, cheeks getting a bit redder before she regained her bearings. “I-I heard you were from U.S.” Wendy nodded again, so she continued. “Can you teach me English, Miss Wendy? Please?” Wendy looked reluctant, and she was desperate to have someone teach her. She pouted her lips and pulled out her big guns: her puppy eyes. “Pretty please?”

After a few tense moments, Wendy eventually gave up and scratched her head wryly. “Fine. But don’t sneak out of your practices, okay?”

“Yes!” Sooyoung squealed in joy. “Thank you, Miss Wendy!”

“Unnie.”

“Huh?”

Wendy smiled softly. “You can call me unnie.”

As months passed by, the two simply got closer. Even when Sooyoung found out that Wendy was an alpha (she didn’t expect that, honestly; her unnie was kind and soft and gentle and everything she knew an alpha wasn’t), it didn’t stop the two from getting closer. Soon, Wendy found another job and moved out of her company. Despite their busy lives, with Wendy working more hours in her new company and Joy debuting in the modeling world, the two remained in touch and occasionally met to catch up.

Five years later, despite all the fights and dealing with her admittedly troublesome escapades, Sooyoung was glad that she has found a friend for a lifetime.

“Yah, Sooyoung! Are you even listening?”

“Yes, unnie.”

Sooyoung smiled, showing her perfect white teeth. Wendy simply shook her head in exasperation, already used to the younger girl’s antics.

“Your photoshoot will last for three hours so I’ll look around for jobs in the meantime and pick you up later,” Wendy said, checking her phone for the time

“Unnie,” Sooyoung whined, clinging on the older woman’s arm. “Don’t get a new job and just be my permanent manager instead.”

The older girl simply laughed and knocked her knuckles on the latter’s forehead. “Silly Sooyoung. You know I can’t.”

“Miss Park! Please prepare now. Shoot starts in 15 minutes.”

Sooyoung groaned, and Wendy laughed again. Wendy pulled her towards the changing room, telling her she’ll be back later with a hug.

When Sooyoung came out of the changing room with designer clothes, killer heels, and heavy makeup, Sooyoung was gone and Joy was back.

_It's showtime._

Joy loved modeling, and modeling loved her back.

She was born with the looks, the resources, and the attitude. Even when she was young, her parents and the people around her already told her that she was model material. Though she knew she was going to inherit her family's business one way or another, it didn't stop her from pursuing her dreams of becoming a model. In the end, her parents gave up on forcing Joy to study business and even supported Joy when she first started training in one of South Korea's well-known modeling agencies.

The trainers and mentors loved her. The trainees either wanted to befriend her or bring her down. She was fast to move, fast to think, smart, and dangerous. It was her element; the fast pace of changing clothes and makeup, posing in front of the camera and walking on the runways. It's what she does best.

It didn't even take her long for her to debut—at the age of 19, she already swept the runways, magazines, and advertisements all over South Korea with a storm.

Even though she was pretty stubborn with her principles, and, as the people who don't like her call her, "obnoxious and wild", Joy was pretty good at her job. Everyone who worked alongside or has seen her work can attest to that. She was a force to be reckoned with in the industry. People loved her for who she was, and _she_ loved who she was.

And maybe being an omega did help her in her career.

Joy took pride that she is an omega. It was a fact that omegas often gave off more appeal and that certain _pull_ than any other class. It was in their scent and their aura, that once you look at an omega, it’d be hard to tear your gaze away from them. Though there were times when she was berated for being an omega, she loved being who she was.

Maybe a little bit too much to the point that people called her strange. She doesn’t care. She wasn’t strange—just unique.

Joy hated being average, so she did her best to exceed everybody’s expectations.

“That’s a wrap! You did fantastic, Miss Park.” Mr. Choi, the photoshoot’s photographer, placed down his camera and approached Joy for a handshake. “They weren’t kidding when they said you’re a great model, Miss Park.”

“You flatter me, Mr. Choi.” Joy smiled professionally. She wasn’t dense and she saw the way the photographer was looking at her. He was definitely going to ask her out. “I had an excellent photographer so it is my job to do my best.”

“You can call me Minhyuk,” he said as he flashed his pretty boy smile, and Joy could feel her smile twitch. _There he goes_ , she thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. “I was wondering if—“

“Miss Park, you have a call!”

_Thank heavens for the timing._

“Excuse me, _Mr._ _Choi_.” Joy bowed politely, holding back her giggles as she looked at the man’s disappointed face. She immediately went to the changing room, looking at her stylist with a grateful smile.

“Do I really have a phone call or you just made it up?” Joy already knew the answer but she wanted to hear it nonetheless.

“The latter.” Her stylist laughed. “You looked constipated with your forced smile. It was painful to look at.”

Joy laughed, patting her back. “You did save my ass there, Hayoung.”

The taller woman winked, ushering Joy to sit in front of the mirror. “Just doing a hero’s job, Miss Park.”

Ten minutes later, Joy was already in her casual clothes. She switched her stilettos for her sneakers, and her makeup was certainly a lot lighter than earlier. She felt comfortable and better, the adrenaline already fading in her veins.

“He was ready to pounce on you, just saying,” Hayoung remarked, fixing Joy’s hair.

Joy scoffed, eying the makeup artist through the mirror with a playful glare. “You’re exaggerating.”

“I wish I am.” Hayoung laughed. She stepped back and raised her arms with a satisfied. “There, you’re good to go.”

“Thank you, Hayoung~”

Joy stood up out of her seat. She immediately gathered all her things, checking if she left anything behind. She faced the staff who were in the changing room and bowed.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone!” she said with her brightest, genuine smile. Some bowed to her back, including Hayoung, while some congratulated her for a job well done. She approached some staff to personally thank them, engaging in some small talks regarding the shoot, and, after a few minutes, finally went out.

Joy loved the feeling of satisfaction after every shoot. She liked her work, the adrenaline that comes, and doing what she loves. She was in a good mood—

“Hey, Miss Park.”

And her good mood was immediately flushed down the drain.

“Mr. Choi,” she greeted, bowing her head in respect. She already had her professional smile on. She just wanted to get out and eat chicken.

“I wanted to say something before I was rudely interrupted earlier,” he joked. Joy really didn’t know if he was joking or not because she wasn’t amused either way. Not reading the mood— _boys,_ Joy thought bitterly—he continued, “If you’re free, maybe we could—“

Suddenly, her phone rang.

 _Luck must be on my side today_ , Joy thought, hiding her smile as she fished her phone out of her bag.

“Excuse me, Mr. Choi, I have to answer the call.” Joy smiled apologetically. She wasn’t really apologetic. Not even the tiniest bit. “Hello?”

“Sooyoung.”

“Oh, unnie!” A smile immediately bloomed after hearing her Wendy-unnie’s voice. She turned away from the photographer. “Are you on your way?”

“I’m only a few minutes away. Did you change clothes already?”

“Yeah.” She peeked over her left, seeing her persistent admirer still waiting for her. “Can we pass by Bok Chicken today? I’m craving for chicken.”

“I’m assuming you have an admirer waiting for you right now.” Wendy chuckled. Joy always wanted to eat chicken if there was something—or someone, like in most cases—pissing her off. “But we can’t. Didn’t you read your messages?”

“Messages?”

“What will I do with you, Sooyoung,” Wendy said with a faint voice, probably her mouth away from the speaker, and Joy rolled her eyes. “Your father texted me that you’ll be having dinner with them later.”

“What?” Joy pouted. “But I’m craving for chicken.”

“Then just order chicken.” Wendy chuckled again, and Joy wanted to complain that her cravings for chicken were very specific and she badly wanted to eat a lot (despite her supposed to be diet), not in some fancy diner that was expensive and was clearly not meant for a hungry model. “Anyway, I’m almost there. You better change your clothes now. Don't go there with your casual clothes.”

“They wouldn’t care,” she muttered. But who was she kidding? She knew her parents would chew her out if she showed up wearing a simple white shirt and ripped jeans.

“ _Joy_ , get changed.”

“Fine.” Joy huffed. She knew that tone and she didn’t like it. She knew her stubbornness wouldn’t take her anywhere in this case. “Take care, unnie.”

“You too. I’ll see you later.”

Joy pocketed her phone, grumbling about being hungry and wearing tight dresses and small servings of food. She also wondered why her parents suddenly wanted to have dinner with her. The last time they even saw each other was before Sooyoung went to Japan for a fashion show, and that was almost 3 months ago. Whenever her parents wanted to meet her, it usually meant there was _something_.

At the corner of her eye, she spotted Mr. Choi standing awkwardly, obviously waiting for Joy to finish her call. Joy rolled her eyes, hiding her annoyance behind a tight-lipped smile. _He really is persistent._

"Mr. Choi."

"Miss Park." He immediately smiled when Joy approached him. "I heard that you were craving for chicken. I know a good place nearby."

"I'm sorry but I'll be having dinner with my parents." Joy saw the way his face fell and maybe—just maybe—she felt a tiny bit bad. She wasn't that mean and merciless after all.

Mr. Choi nodded in defeat. "Oh, okay."

"It was nice working with you, Mr. Choi. You're a very talented photographer."

His face instantly brightened. "The pleasure was all mine, Miss Park."

Joy noticed that he was about to open his mouth again so she bowed in respect, excusing herself back to the changing room. She smiled to herself in victory.

_Crisis averted._

* * *

Sooyoung sat in front of her parents. She could feel herself sweating in her simple red dress despite the air condition blasting in the restaurant. Still, she kept her face neutral as she quietly observed her parents.

The moment she arrived, her mother hugged her and it simply fuelled her suspicions. Don’t get her wrong, she loved her mother dearly but Sooyoung knew that she wasn’t a touchy person. Her father nodded in her direction, curt and reserved as usual, and she gave a polite smile back.

There was nothing unusual with their conversation. Her parents asked her about her currents escapades (Sooyoung answered that everything was fine, she had many upcoming projects and was busy as usual), her relationship with Jaehyun (they broke up _months_ ago, and her mother complained that _Jaehyun was such a good boy!_ ), and other little things. It was the normal catching up conversation they always have whenever they meet, but she couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling in her gut.

 _I’m just tired_ , she told herself when the food came. When she saw the size of the food, she frowned in disappointment. _And hungry._

They ate in silence, her father commenting about the food once in a while, and her mother gossiping about some high-end family. Sooyoung nodded when she had to, agreed when she had to, and gave reaction when she had to.

The nagging feeling didn’t disappear even after they ate.

“Sooyoung,” her father spoke and she looked up. His face was unreadable, and it was the first time Sooyoung saw her father look so tired. He shared a look with his mother, her mother nodding softly before he turned back to Joy. “We have something to tell you.”

The feeling in her gut intensified, effectively making her forget that she was still hungry.

“What is it?” She smiled anyway because she was a good daughter. _And a good actress._ Her parents subtly relaxed upon seeing her smile. Sooyoung was always good at this.

Her parents shared a look again and she could feel herself getting annoyed. Patience wasn’t her strong suit and whatever they were trying to tell her, they should tell her _now_.

“It’s about the company,” her mother said. Sooyoung felt her stomach drop, remembering how they avoided answering her when she asked about the company. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened. She didn’t know why but she just knew that whatever they were going to tell her, she wouldn’t like it one bit.

And then it came.

“We’re in debt, Sooyoung.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”

The last time she checked—or the last time Wendy told her—their company was okay. She never understood how the business world worked so she never bothered. _But how come I never heard of it?_

“We got scammed,” her mother answered. Her voice was thick with emotion and Sooyoung’s chest tightened when she saw her mother sniffle.

“It was some international company,” her father explained. There was anger and frustration in his tone, and, by the way, he refused to meet Sooyoung’s questioning gaze, it was directed to himself. “Their offers were too good to be true, and we were in no place to refuse. I… I became reckless and impatient. I signed the deal, Sooyoung. Before we even realized it, millions of money were already leeched by those bastards. It was too late. Many of our investors backed out. In a matter of months, the company’s value dropped so much.”

The table was silent for a moment. Sooyoung stared at her parents, torn between disbelief and sadness and more emotions that she couldn’t comprehend. Her brain was barely processing all the information suddenly thrown at her. The only thought that she could come up was _What the hell?_

She knew that it wasn’t an appropriate thing to say so she kept her mouth shut.

“Kang Taemin approached us. Remember him? He’s the head of the Kang Group.” Sooyoung did remember him. The first and only time Joy saw him was when she was 12, in a dinner with all the rich businessmen in Seoul. He was a tall, good-looking man, always wearing a smile that was far from friendly and overwhelming charisma. “He suggested selling the company. We didn’t have a choice anymore, Sooyoung.”

“We ended up selling the company to the Kang Empire, but the company wasn’t enough to pay our debts.” Suddenly, the feeling in her gut intensified. She didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. “Kang Taemin offered to pay our debts. He has a daughter, an alpha. He… He made a deal with us, a different way to pay.”

And, all of a sudden, everything clicked.

_No. No, no, no—_

"No." The words slipped out before Joy could contain them. Her mind was reeling, her pulse wild, and she couldn't accept what was happening. "You can't do this to me. I _—"_

"Sooyoung," her father said. He looked at her with those pleading eyes, the same eyes that looked like hers, and thorns constricted her throat.

_No. I don't want to hear it._

"Sooyoung."

_No._

"I'm sorry, Sooyoung. I'm sorry," her mother said. "But you have to get married to Kang Taemin's daughter."


	2. chapter two

Seulgi couldn’t believe her ears. Maybe she drank too much coffee on her way to her office. _Or maybe I didn’t wake up at all and I’m still dreaming._

“D-Did I heard that right or—”

“I don’t have to tell you this twice, Seulgi,” the man said with his voice serious and monotonous.

Seulgi looked at her father, eyes wide and mouth agape. His face was devoid of any emotion aside from mild annoyance. All color drained from Seulgi’s face. Her father was a lot of things but he definitely wasn’t a joker.

“But, f-father—“

“Seulgi,” he said. The emotions ran rampant in her chest and the adrenaline in her veins made her forget that this was her _father_ she was talking to.

“I’m too young, father. I—“

“Seulgi.” His voice was quiet but it boomed loudly in the quiet office. Kang Taemin glared at her, eyes challenging her to speak up again. Seulgi immediately silenced herself. Her father stood up, his body exuding alpha confidence that always made Seulgi cower, and Seulgi felt like she was a child again.

“You’ll get married to the daughter of the Park Group, whether you like it or not.” And just like that, Kang Taemin left her office, once again controlling her life like the puppet she always was.

Seulgi stared at the closed door, biting her lips to stop the frustration and anger that threatened to spill in her eyes and lips.

It tasted like iron.

* * *

The moment Seulgi heard her father was in her office, Seulgi canceled all of her prior appointments and rushed to her office. She was even unable to greet her employees as she hurriedly walked to her office, and her employees knew it had something to do with the chairman who walked in minutes before.

Kang Taemin rarely came to the office and, whenever he does, it usually meant he was going to do something that Seulgi didn’t like. It never stopped him, making decisions for her without consulting her. He didn’t care at all.

Even if Seulgi already knew that, it didn’t hurt any less.

So when Seulgi came in and the first thing her father said was she was going to get married, it felt like her world fell apart.

_Just when I thought I was finally free…_

After she silently cried her eyes out and re-applied her makeup to avoid suspicion, she continued on her work. She still had contracts and papers to sign, projects to check, and a company to run.

The employees seemed to notice that Seulgi wasn’t in the best of moods, as they subtly tried to cheer up their boss. They knew Seulgi as cheerful, stern when needed to be, and an overall wonderful boss. Even if the object of their worry didn’t seem to notice their subtle efforts, seeing Seulgi crack a small, genuine smile for the first time that day made their efforts worth it.

(She just wanted to forget what happened that morning, and it was working. Somehow.)

By the end of the day, Seulgi slumped on her chair, her mind echoing the words she heard this morning. She scratched her head in frustration before eying her phone that was laying on her table. She pondered whether she should call _her_ to tell her about what happened. In the end, with an impatient huff, she picked up her phone and immediately dialed her number.

After a few rings, the other line picked up. 

“Unnie,” Seulgi whined. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to explain that her father practically forced her to marry someone she didn’t even know without her consent. “Unnie.”

“Seul.”

“Unnie,” she whined again.

“ _Seulgi._ ”

“Un—“

“I swear,” the voice on the other line said, voice heavy with tiredness and annoyance, “if you don’t tell me what’s the problem, I will hang up.”

“Unnie.”

“Seulgi, I’m warning you.”

“Unnie~”

“Okay, that’s it, I’m—“

“Wait, don’t hang up!” Seulgi said in a panic. Maybe she teased her unnie too much.

“What is it, Seul?”

“I—“ Seulgi cleared her throat awkwardly. Her free hand fiddled with the cube on the table. “I was wondering if you’re free later. I have to tell you something.”

“Does that _something_ have to do with your father in your face earlier this morning?”

 _So she also heard about father._ “Yes.”

The voice on the other line sighed. Seulgi waited patiently, listening to the shuffling of papers on the background. After a few seconds, the voice said, “I still have a few documents to check but I will be free later.”

“Yes!” She smiled. “Thank you, unnie.”

“You have to treat me dinner, okay?” Even if she couldn’t see her face, Seulgi also knew that the older woman was smiling. “See you later, Seul.”

“See you later, Joohyun-unnie.”

* * *

Seulgi ate her steak quietly, sneakily stealing glances at the older woman before her. When she arrived at the restaurant they frequented at, Seulgi steeled herself that she would tell her unnie right away. She puffed her chest in confidence, wore a shaky smile, and went inside the restaurant.

However, when her Joohyun-unnie arrived, all her confidence disappeared in an instant. The woman, as usual, looked stunning in her casual clothes. Seulgi felt intimidated by the older woman’s beauty but she has always admired her.

Instead of saying “I’m getting married”, she ended up saying, “Hello, unnie, how are you?”

She was just being polite. She wasn’t running away from her problems. Not at all.

In the end, Seulgi forgot about her problem. She was busy catching up with Joohyun, talking about current and future projects. Joohyun ranted about some old man who she wanted to punch so bad, about a couple in the marketing department who often made out in the break room, and some other things that made Seulgi laugh in amusement or gasp in horror. Seulgi also shared her fair share of stories in the company, laughing as Joohyun did her signature dolphin laugh. As a fellow CEO to another, Seulgi has always admired Joohyun.

Seulgi could still remember the first time she met Joohyun.

It was a dinner party between the big companies in Seoul. Seulgi watched her father as he smoothly mingled along with CEOs and chairmen of different companies. Her mother was busy talking with other people. Seulgi was bored out of her mind so she quietly slipped away and went to the balcony.

As she closed the door, she jerked in surprise when she heard a quiet voice say, “Who are you?”

Seulgi turned around, meeting a pair of curious yet wary eyes. She never saw her before. “Who are you?”

“I asked first,” the girl pouted, crossing her arms.

“Oh.” Seulgi blinked, then she smiled, eyes disappearing into crescents. She held out her hand, just like her mother told her whenever she meets someone new. “I’m Kang Seulgi.”

The other girl stared at her hand reluctantly. “Bae Joohyun,” she said quietly. She took her hand, shaking it firmly.

“We’re friends now, Joohyun-ah,” Seulgi declared.

 _She’s pretty_ , Seulgi thought, looking at Joohyun as the moon illuminated her smile. “Friends.”

Ever since that encounter, Seulgi and Joohyun became inseparable. Seulgi found out that Joohyun was actually older than her (“Sorry, I didn’t know!”) and that their companies were working together. Their mothers were close and they often went to each other’s house. Also, in pure coincidence (or at least that’s what Seulgi’s mom told her), Seulgi and Joohyun were attending the same school, and it went on until college.

It was inevitable that people would “ship” them. Kang Seulgi—one of the most sought after alpha in SNU, the dance club’s ace, the heiress of the Kang Empire—and Bae Joohyun—voted as the prettiest omega of the business department in SNU, a well-round top student, the heiress of the Bae Corporation—were rumored to be dating. It wasn’t true, of course. Seulgi was seeing someone in secret at that time and Joohyun was too busy dealing with her studies to date.

For Joohyun, Seulgi will always be her clumsy little sister, and for Seulgi, Joohyun will always be the big sister she never had.

(But well, little Seulgi did have a _tiny_ crush on Joohyun when they were younger. She was young and who wouldn’t have a tiny crush on her Joohyun-unnie?)

She could entrust her life to Joohyun’s hands. She knew that no matter what she did (unless it’s really embarrassing), Joohyun will always support her. Joohyun was there for Seulgi, and Seulgi was there for Joohyun. She was forever grateful for the older woman for being there whenever she needed her, and she vowed to do the same for her.

With those thoughts in mind, she finally blurted out, “I’m getting married.”

Joohyun choked on juice. She immediately grabbed the tissues on the table and wiped her mouth. “Excuse me, what?”

Seulgi gulped nervously. “I’m getting married, unnie.”

“What?” Joohyun asked again. Her eyes went comically wide and Seulgi would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the predicament she was in.

“Married,” Seulgi repeated quietly, getting more nervous at the older woman’s scrutinizing glare. An alpha getting talked down by an omega was unheard of, but it was a common occurrence between Seulgi and Joohyun. Seulgi was scared—no, _terrified_ of an angry Joohyun. “I’m getting married.”

“Were you dating someone in secret?”

“Unnie!” Seulgi yelped in embarrassment, glancing around if anyone heard her. She turned back to her unnie, glaring with a pout. “I’ve never dated anyone after her, and if I was dating someone, you know I’d tell you.”

The doubt in Joohyun’s eyes faded, but her frown deepened. “Did Taemin decide on this?”

Seulgi couldn’t help but wince at the tone Joohyun used. Even if hidden, the venom and anger in her voice were obvious. “Yes.”

“That bastard.” Seulgi heard Joohyun mutter under her breath. She wanted to defend her father but she didn’t want to face Joohyun’s seething anger. “And you just agreed to it?”

“Unnie,” she said in defeat, feeling all the exhaustion from today fall on her shoulders. “You know I can’t do anything about it.”

“Seulgi—“

“Unnie,” she said again, using the voice she used in the board room, firm and final. “Please.”

Joohyun stared at her and Seulgi stared back. Her heart was drumming in her chest, nervous and restless. If Joohyun were to talk about _that_ again, she knew it would end in arguments and Seulgi wasn’t in the mood for another cold war. Eventually, Joohyun sank back to her seat with a sigh, and Seulgi smiled in relief.

“Do you who are you going to marry?” Joohyun asked.

“The daughter of the Park Group,” she answered. She hummed, trying to remember the name her father told her. “I think her name was Park Sooyoung.”

“Park Group?” Seulgi watched as the older woman fell silent, and Seulgi swore she could hear the gears in her head turning. “I think I’ve heard of them. Isn’t that the company that ended up in debts after a bad deal?”

Seulgi hummed again. As far as she could remember, the Park Group was one of the consistent and biggest companies in Seoul. For years the Park Group has dominated their field, and Seulgi even met the current CEO, Park Jinwoo, once in a meeting. However, a few months ago, she heard that the company dropped its value after something happened but she didn’t know they were in debt.

Her eyes widened in realization, and with the way Joohyun was looking at her, the older woman came up with the same conclusion.

“The Park Group is a big company,” Joohyun said and Seulgi nodded in agreement. “They have been in the industry for years and they have lots of connections.”

“I think father made a deal with them.” Seulgi sighed. _Of course_ , she thought. Her father never made a decision if it wasn’t for the betterment of the company, even if it meant sacrificing his daughter. _Why am I even surprised?_ “He probably bought the company in exchange for paying their debts but with the company’s current market value, it wasn’t enough.”

“The Park Group has been in the industry for a long time,” Joohyun added, eyes on her phone. Then she looked at Seulgi, her expression sad. “Considering the connections they have with other businesses, I bet Kang Taemin wanted those as well. The only way to ensure that is…”

“To have their daughter marry me.”

Selling their company and drowning in debt was one thing, but letting their daughter marry someone she didn’t even know was a whole new thing altogether. She couldn’t even imagine what Park Sooyoung might be feeling right now. It was almost as if they _sold_ their daughter just to pay off their debt. Seulgi hated it when parents force their kids to do something they didn’t want. After all, she experienced those herself.

Seeing the inner turmoil in Seulgi’s eyes, Joohyun decided to cheer her up. “She’s a model.”

“Really?” Seulgi perked up at the information. She didn’t trust Joohyun’s sly smirk but she was curious. Joohyun passed her phone to Seulgi and Seulgi took it reluctantly. When Seulgi saw the photos of this Park Sooyoung on her phone, her jaw dropped.

 _Wow,_ Seulgi thought as she scrolled down. This Park Sooyoung was really, _really_ pretty and Seulgi was torn between feeling lucky and feeling bad. She stumbled on a certain photo that made her mouth dry. She was wearing a tight, black\ sleeveless dress with a pink fur coat, long hair messy and perfect, and her expression fierce. The more she stared at the picture, the hotter her cheeks felt.

“Ddeulgi has a crush,” Joohyun teased as she saw her friend blush. Seulgi snapped from her daze, cheeks turning even redder, and she passed the phone back to Joohyun.

“Unnie,” Seulgi whined. She covered her cheeks in embarrassment.

Joohyun laughed, eyes crinkling and sounding like a dolphin, and Seulgi, for the first time that day, allowed herself to laugh.

She was lucky to have someone like Bae Joohyun in her life.

“Ddeulgi has a crush~”

“Unnie!”

Or maybe not.

* * *

A few weeks passed and Seulgi _almost_ forgot that she was getting married.

It wasn’t entirely her fault. She was running a company. She had many things to think about.

(She wasn’t making excuses. She was just busy, that’s all.)

Seulgi heard faint knocks coming from the other side of her office’s door. Eyes still glued on the document she was reading, she said, “Come in.”

Her secretary quietly went stepped inside her office, an iPad in hand. “I already moved all your scheduled meetings for the afternoon. We can leave after you have eaten your lunch.”

Seulgi stopped at the word ‘raise’ and looked up. “What? Why?”

Kim Jisoo, her secretary of three years, stared at her like she grew two heads with an amused smile. “To check the preparations of _your_ marriage, Miss Kang.”

It dawned on her like a bucket of cold water. She was getting married in _weeks_.

 _I haven’t even met her personally_ , Seulgi thought. She was now sitting in her car with Park Sooyoung’s files in her hand. She didn’t know why but it felt wrong to know the girl through paper. Seulgi wasn’t the type of person to judge based on what she read and heard, preferring to know someone personally.

Seulgi only met her parents. Her father arranged a dinner for them to meet, and Seulgi knew she couldn’t refuse.

Park Jinwoo was a good man of a few words and Park Mina was a kind lady who spoke thrice more than her husband. The two apologized when they noticed Seulgi looking for their daughter, telling her that Sooyoung had an important shoot. Despite the absence of Seulgi’s fiancée (can Seulgi call her that?), the dinner went smoothly. They mostly talked about business, how different the industry was in their time, and, inevitably, how the Park Group became what it is now. Seulgi almost felt bad about the Park Group’s downfall, but hearing the whole story from the man himself, Seulgi realized they brought it to themselves.

 _And Sooyoung had to pay for it_ , Seulgi thought, unable to stop the bitterness in her thoughts.

Before she left, Park Mina held her hand.

“Miss Seulgi,” she said. Her voice was quiet and her face sad, different from the woman Seulgi spoke to earlier in dinner. “I know it’s not my place to ask you this, but please take care of my Sooyoung.”

Seulgi was about to open her mouth, apologize that she couldn’t make any promises, but she couldn’t. Not when a mother was looking at her with pleading eyes. Not when it felt like she was looking at her own mother.

So Seulgi smiled and squeezed her hand back. “I will do my best, Mrs. Park.”

Seulgi sighed and shook her head. If she wanted to take care of Sooyoung, she has to know her first.

After meeting with her parents, Seulgi decided to meet the model at least once. Unfortunately, their schedules were always clashing—Seulgi being busy whenever the model was free, and being free whenever the Sooyoung was busy. Seulgi didn’t know if she should thank fate for not letting them meet but she’s pretty sure she’s not ready to meet her.

 _Park Soo Young_.

Seulgi started reading her data, starting from the most basic to her career. She learned that Sooyoung was two years her junior, and started modeling when she was 19. In the modeling world, she was known more as Joy Park. Sooyoung was Virgo and her blood type is A. She loves eating chicken and has a pet dog. She has two younger sisters. She’s very famous and active on social media.

The more she read about Sooyoung, the more she found herself getting intrigued by the model. Park Sooyoung wasn’t someone she expected from a family who was a big figure in the business world.

When she flipped to the last page, she found different pictures of the model. She remembered Joohyun teasing her, and a pink flush found its place in Seulgi’s cheeks.

She shook her head. _Seulgi, you’re not some young, hormonal alpha. Stop drooling over someone you don’t even know._

 _That someone you don’t even know will be your wife soon_ , another voice in her head said. _And you’re lucky pretty damn luck. She’s hot._

_Shut—_

“Miss Kang,” her driver spoke, snapping Seulgi out of her daze. “We’re here.”

Jisoo went out first and Seulgi followed next. She talked about the updates about the preparation of the wedding, and everything her secretary said went from one ear to another. All she could hear was her mind whispering, _you’re getting married._

 _I’m getting married_ , Seulgi thought, staring at her reflection on the mirror. The seamstress was measuring her, complimenting her body figure and suggesting various colors that would emphasize her features. She gave her thanks on every compliment and nodded at every suggestion, but nothing was getting into Seulgi’s brain.

She went in and out of the dressing room, fitting various kinds of suits to see which fabric was more comfortable and what style was more fitting. Seulgi didn’t really care (in fact, she just wanted to be home) but the seamstress insisted.

Jisoo waited the whole time, commenting once in a while with an amused smile. Seulgi rolled her eyes at her secretary, knowing that the woman was obviously enjoying her suffering.

“Tired already, boss?” Jisoo asked, smirking at the groaning Seulgi. Seulgi glared at her secretary but her smirk didn’t even fade a bit.

Jisoo has been a part of her little circle of friends since college. When her father’s secretary retired, Seulgi immediately hired her for the position. Many were against placing a beta in such a position in a huge company but Seulgi didn’t care. A friend was a friend, no matter what they are. Besides, Jisoo proved more than once that she was worthy of the position. Seulgi was glad that she had someone she could trust and rely on in the company.

Secretary Jisoo was professional and efficient at work. However, Friend Jisoo was a whole different person.

“Shut up, Jisoo.” Seulgi leaned her head against the headrest. She didn’t have the energy to deal with Jisoo’s teasing at the moment.

“Well, sad to say but we still have 3 more places to go.”

Seulgi groaned. “Really?”

If it was even possible, Jisoo’s smirk grew. “Really.”

The moment she arrived home, she immediately flopped on her bed. Her body felt tired and heavy, and she was beyond exhausted. Who would have thought that preparing for a wedding was _that_ taxing? She didn’t even know why she was the one handling the whole wedding preparation thing. Don’t couples prepare for that together? But Sooyoung and Seulgi are not a couple. Still, Seulgi can’t stop herself from worrying. What if Sooyoung didn’t like the color Seulgi chose? What if they had different flower preferences? What if Sooyoung would hate her she didn’t like the wedding?

 _Breathe, Seulgi._ It sounded strangely like Joohyun’s voice. _Stop overthinking_.

Seulgi rolled on her bed and stared at the ceiling. _I’m getting married. I’m getting married. I’m—_

Despite the tiredness she felt from the day, she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t stay still, not when she felt so anxious and restless. She sat up, grabbed her phone, and dialed Joohyun’s number. After 3 rings, the older woman finally picked up.

“Joohyun-unnie, I’m so nervous and I couldn’t sleep—“

“Seulgi,” Joohyun answered, her voice quiet and Seulgi swore she could feel the murderous intent coming from the other line. “It’s one in the _morning_. What is it?”

Seulgi glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. _1:17 AM,_ it read. She was too busy overthinking that she didn’t even notice the time, and maybe she woke up Joohyun from her beauty sleep. She grimaced, thinking of the wrath she will face tomorrow from a groggy Joohyun. “I-It’s nothing unnie.”

“Okay. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night, Seulgi.”

“Good ni—“

Seulgi threw her phone and flopped back to the bed. She should get some sleep. She had a busy day ahead of her. _Just stop overthinking about it_ , she reminded herself as she closed her eyes.

She didn’t get any sleep that night.

* * *

Seulgi was nervous. The word _nervous_ didn’t even bring justice to what Seulgi was feeling.

She was sure her hands were sweating. Her heart was hammering in her chest, threatening to burst any minute now. She wondered if it was too late to back out.

 _It’s too late_ , Seulgi thought. _Also, you can’t just run away from your bride. You’re an alpha, Kang Seulgi. An alpha!_

A few weeks passed in a blink of an eye. Seulgi was too busy drowning in her work in the company that she didn’t notice the date of the wedding was getting nearer. She didn’t realize until she had that conversation with Jisoo after her meeting with the newest investors of the Kang Empire.

“I’ll clear all of your schedules for the week,” Jisoo said, eyes on the iPad she was holding.

Seulgi blinked. “Huh?”

Jisoo slowly looked at her boss, eyes unblinking, and deadpanned, “You’re getting married in a week, Seulgi.”

And here she was. Seulgi was getting married to someone she doesn’t even know. Sure, she already read her biodata, stalked her social media a few times (a lot, actually, she could feel Jisoo judging her whenever her secretary caught her staring at the model’s photos), and watched some of her interviews. She knew Joy Park but she didn’t know who Park Sooyoung is.

The business industry was shocked upon hearing that the Kang Empire’s CEO and heiress was getting married. The news was announced a week before the wedding, and Seulgi couldn’t forget the amount of attention she got after that. She could see her name on headlines, whether it was on the TV station playing on the company’s cafeteria or in the newspaper that one of her employees was reading. It was almost as if she was a celebrity.

 _You_ are _a celebrity, Seul_ , she remembered her secretary telling her.

She always wished she wasn’t.

The wedding march started to play and people started to walk on the isle. She stood idly, watching as people walk in, some familiar faces and some she didn’t know. She felt so restless and anxious and nervous and _can I just run away?_

 _It’s going to be fine_ , a voice that oddly sounded like Joohyun said in her mind, and Seulgi remembered the brief encounter they had in her changing room. Joohyun came in minutes before the wedding started to check on her best friend, knowing that the young alpha was probably panicking. She was right, of course. Their conversation started with a playful banter but once the reality of the situation settled in Seulgi’s shoulders, she ended up rambling all of her worries.

“What if she doesn’t like the flowers I chose? What if she didn’t like the motif? What if I mess up my speech? What if—“

“Seulgi,” her best friend said calmly, her voice soft and gentle. “It’s going to be okay.”

“How can you be so sure?” She hated that she felt like this. She worked so hard to be the confident alpha everyone wanted her to be. She hated feeling insecure and weak and _hopeless_.

But when Joohyun smiled at her, like she saw something in Seulgi that she herself didn’t see, it felt like everything was going to be okay. “Because you are Kang Seulgi.”

Seulgi smiled at the memory. Her Joohyun-unnie never failed to boost her confidence, may it be facing a group of annoying old men or an unexpected wedding.

The doors closed, signifying that the bride was going to walk next. Seulgi closed her eyes, preparing herself for the next part.

She should have known that no amount of preparation could ever prepare her for this.

When the doors opened, Seulgi swore her heart stopped beating.

And there, standing by the door, wearing a beautiful red gown, was the most beautiful woman Seulgi has ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now we have seulgi's point of view !! comments/criticism are highly appreciated and thank you for all of those who upvoted :)) next update on wednesday hehe ily <3


	3. chapter three

Joy wanted to sue all the photographers who took pictures of Kang Seulgi.

All the pictures of Kang Seulgi on the internet didn’t justify the Kang Seulgi in personal.

The alpha was straight-up _gorgeous_.

Joy couldn’t see clearly when she was on the other end of the aisle but the moment she reached half-way, she saw the sight of the hottest woman she’s ever seen. Joy wasn’t the type to drool over women (or men) but damn—Kang Seulgi is _hot_.

She could remember the time when she stalked her fiancée on the internet. Wendy, who was sitting beside her, glanced at her photos and whistled. “Wow, she’s very pretty.”

“Yeah,” Joy nodded absentmindedly as she scrolled down her fiancée’s profile. “She’s okay.”

Joy felt embarrassment creeping on her cheeks. She wanted to smack herself because saying Kang Seulgi is _okay_ would be the same as saying chicken tastes good. (Chicken doesn’t taste good; it tastes _delicious_.)

All the noise—the whispers, the camera shutter, the wedding march—disappeared. All she could focus on was the woman waiting on the end of the aisle, looking breathtakingly dashing on her red velvet suit. She walked, absent-mindedly, eyes trained on Seulgi. She couldn’t look away even after their eyes met, the intensity in those monolid eyes made her heart race. The closer she got to the end, the more she felt breathless.

She arrived at the end of the aisle.

Kang Seulgi stretched her hand and Joy took it.

She was getting married.

* * *

The wedding went faster than Joy expected.

Granted, everything that the priest was saying just went from one ear to another. Their wedding was much shorter than the traditional ones because the Kangs didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention. She already memorized the speech that she was going to say; all she had to do was to add a little bit more emotion to make it seem like she was in love with the woman before her. It was a blessing that Joy was a good actress.

But Kang Seulgi was not.

Joy wasn’t sure but if ever Kang Seulgi was acting, she would praise the woman for it. It was endearing to look at Seulgi deliver her speech. She stuttered throughout her speech, looking flustered and embarrassed. It effectively made the audience laugh or coo at how… unexpectedly adorable the Kang Empire CEO was. Whenever their eyes met, Seulgi would shyly lower her head and Joy would bite back a smile every time. When she finally finished her speech, the older woman gave an obvious sigh of relief, much to Joy’s amusement.

Then the hardest part came.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Joy nearly choked. _Of course we’re going to kiss. How could I forget?_

Joy wasn’t inexperienced. She probably kissed more people than she could remember. She had flings in parties and clubs. Joy is a good actress, she always has been. She could pull this off.

But her heart was racing. It was the first time, in a very long time, that her heart was racing just because she was about to kiss someone. _I’m just nervous_ , she told herself as she secretly wiped her palms on her dress. She hoped her sweating didn’t mess up her makeup. _Why am I nervous anyway? It’s just a kiss._

Seulgi looked at her, monolid eyes blinking rapidly, hesitation obvious in her eyes. Joy gave a tiny nod, and Seulgi gave back a timid smile. She stepped closer until their faces were a hand away from each other, intense, black eyes never leaving hers.

Seulgi cupped her jaw, intense eyes turning soft, and Joy saw her mouth say _I’m sorry_ before their lips met.

_Just a kiss._

(Okay, fine—maybe because Kang Seulgi was so damn attractive that made her heart bang loudly the moment their lips met.)

* * *

“Are you okay, Sooyoung-ssi?”

“Joy.”

Before she could stop herself, Joy quickly corrected her. She looked at Seulgi, watching the other woman blink slowly in confusion.

“Joy?”

“Yes.” Joy gave her best smile. “Call me Joy, Seulgi-ssi.”

Joy waited if the alpha would react with her tone. Alphas don’t appreciate it when an omega—or anyone, really—acts haughty or answers them back. Joy never trusted alphas, and she wanted to test if Seulgi was one of those kinds she should be wary of. She already heard several rumors about the alphas of the Kang family and she wondered if Kang Seulgi was exactly like the rumors she heard.

Joy doesn’t judge someone based on rumors. But when it comes to alphas, you can never be too sure.

Surprisingly, the other woman leaned back, giving Joy an apologetic smile. “Oh! I’m sorry, Joy-ssi. Um, I, uh, I know that your stage name is Joy but I thought that—“

“It’s okay, Seulgi-ssi. I don’t mind,” Joy said with an eyebrow subtly raised in amusement. That wasn’t the reaction she was expecting from her but it was pleasant nonetheless. “But we’re not close yet so you better call me Joy.”

“Oh.” Seulgi’s mouth formed an “o”, head nodding in understanding. Then she smiled, cheeks puffing and eyes turning into crescents. Joy noted that her wife­—wow, _wife_ —looked similar to a bear. An adorable, baby bear. “Okay then. I’m Seulgi.”

“Seulgi-ssi, I know.” Joy giggled. The CEO of the Kang Empire kept on surprising her. The way she looked now was different from when Joy watched her stand at the end of the aisle.

Seulgi blushed, looking away in embarrassment.

Joy didn’t know how to treat the alpha. So far, her interactions with the older woman were pleasant. But even with Seulgi acting friendly, it didn’t mean that the omega will let her guard down. Alphas are naturally charismatic and social but that’s not all they are. In most cases, it takes more than a tiny push for their true colors to show.

 _For now_ , she decided and faced the crowd, _let’s see how it goes._

If the wedding was slow, the reception was _dragging_. All Joy wanted was to go home, curl on her bed, and sleep for an entire day. The whole preparation for the wedding exhausted her to the bones, and the bright lights and noise in the reception wasn’t helping in easing the throbbing pain at the back of her head.

But it wasn’t like it was all that bad. The venue was so grand that it made Joy wonder how much did the Kangs spend just for the venue and decorations alone. There was so much food that was more than enough to feed an entire district. There were celebrities, big businessmen, and famous politicians.

As Joy sat in front of them all, Joy can’t help but think just how powerful and rich the Kangs are.

Joy had to suffer listening to her father and mother do their speeches. She still loved her parents very much but she couldn’t help the resentment she felt towards them. After all, she was _sold_ to pay their debts. Even if she agreed to it, it didn’t change the fact that she was getting married when she wasn’t ready and with someone she didn’t even know. They talked about how grateful they are to Kang Taemin and Seulgi, and how much they loved Joy. It felt fake, a lot like Joy’s speech earlier, and it was obvious that they didn’t mean everything they said. It took all her willpower not to roll her eyes, forcing herself to smile throughout their speech.

Kang Taemin’s speech, for a better term, was superficial. He talked about how their marriage would help their business, employees, clients, and investors, rather than how he felt about the marriage. It was almost as if the marriage was just another business deal and not his only daughter getting married. Well, in a sense, it _is_ a business deal.

While her father-in-law—can Joy call him that now? He’s already her father-in-law, right?—was giving his speech, Joy sneaked a glance at the alpha beside her. She didn’t expect the cold, nonchalant poker face the older woman was wearing. Her expression was different from the Seulgi she saw earlier, all smile and flustered cheeks. Her eyes were cold, nodding on the parts where she was expected to nod, like a programmed robot doing its job. The sight unnerved Joy, an unpleasant shiver running down her spine.

But when Seulgi saw Joy looking, her eyes softened and her lips curled into a small smile.

It made Joy wonder which Kang Seulgi was the real Kang Seulgi. Was it the endearing woman who stuttered while doing her wedding speech earlier or the cold-looking alpha she saw just now?

Either way, Joy knew she _definitely_ couldn’t let her guard down.

After the speech, they had to face the people, mostly her coworkers and the Kang’s business partners, who were lining up to give their congratulations and gifts. The routine was this: they would congratulate the new couple, they’ll comment about how perfect they are for each other, maybe make a sex joke or two, and they’d thank them for coming and for the gift

The start was okay. A few forced laughs, some good jokes, fake gratitude, and happiness. But after a while, Joy was starting to get impatient, tired of hearing the same lines over and over _and_ over again. Even if she was used to it, her cheeks started to hurt because of her forced smile and she could feel her throat getting drier with every forced laugh.

 _If I could hear one more joke about how Seulgi-ssi could knock me up, I won’t hesitate to stab them,_ Joy thought after another sexual joke, forcing a dry laugh.

Unexpectedly, in contrast as to how her wedding speech went, Seulgi was good at entertaining their guests. She always had a polite smile on (though it wasn’t the eye smile that Joy liked to see), replied on time with witty remarks and equally bad jokes, and always knew how to please the person she was talking to. Joy, looking at Seulgi laughing at one of the guest’s joke, realized that this was the Kang Seulgi she read about; the charismatic and enigmatic CEO of Kang Empire.

After what seemed like endless congratulations and thank you’s and inappropriate sex jokes, they finally finished entertaining their guests. Joy watched in amusement as Seulgi’s smile disappeared in an instant as she sank back to her seat with a sigh.

“Tired?” Joy quipped, glancing at the older woman.

“Yeah.” Seulgi chuckled. She loosened her tie and popped a button open, and Joy wondered why she was suddenly thirsty when she just drank water. “I’m honestly surprised you didn’t snap there. Their jokes weren’t even funny.”

“I was about to stab Mr. Lee when he made that protection joke,” Joy groaned and Seulgi laughed.

“That was horrible,” Seulgi agreed, laughing with her eyes crinkling. She cleared her throat, her expression turning similar to Mr. Chan, one of the Kang’s investors. _“Taemin was pretty active in his time, Seulgi-ssi. Bet you won’t be giving Sooyoung-ssi rest.”_

Joy decided to play along. _“Dear, don’t be like that.”_ She playfully slapped Seulgi’s shoulder and the older woman laughed harder. _“When we were on our honeymoon phase, we used to do it everywhere, you know? Every day, every night. In the bedroom, in the bathroom, in our kitchen…”_

Joy watched as Seulgi doubled over, laughing so hard to the point that there were tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Joy found herself smiling at the sight; Kang Seulgi really wasn’t the person Joy expected her to be.

As the wedding reception went on, Joy realized that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

(It was because of the chicken and definitely not because of the pretty woman beside her.)

* * *

Going out was even harder than going in, Joy realized.

Outside of the Lotte Hotel, reporters of various media outlets and news were swarming, making it nearly impossible to get out. There were a few channels who were live reporting the whole ordeal. The security guards were lining up outside, keeping the wild reporters at bay.

“Park Sooyoung! How does it feel to be married to _the_ Kang Seulgi?”

“Kang Seulgi, were you dating in secret all along?”

“Park Sooyoung!”

“Kang Seulgi!”

There were flashes and faces everywhere. Her ears were ringing with all the noise around, and getting pushed around by the security made her dizzy. The car was just a few steps away but it felt much farther than it was.

 _I just want to go home_.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab on hers. When she looked up, she shuddered at the sight.

It was Seulgi. Gone was the gentle and soft Seulgi she was with earlier. On her place was a grown alpha, commanding and powerful. She was emitting alpha pheromones and, even if it was subtle and muted, the wild reporters immediately heed to her silent command, the waves of people parting away in a barely a second. Even the security guards moved away, standing at the sides like knights waiting for their king to pass.

It was the first time in a very long time that Joy felt it again.

 _Seulgi is not like him_ , she reminded herself.

_But how can you be so sure?_

“Joy-ssi,” the older woman spoke, her hold gentle. She looked back at Joy, smiling with her eyes crinkling. Just like that, the alpha was gone and Seulgi was back. “Are you okay?”

 _Never trust alphas_ , _Sooyoung._

“Yeah.” Joy smiled. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the comments, kudos, and to those who bookmarked!!! this is an opening,, of some sorts. more joygi interactions in the future chapters!!!
> 
> everyone stay safe!!! ily <3


	4. chapter four

For Seulgi, married life was… weird.

Weird in a sense that it wasn’t like she was expecting. She was still Seulgi, and she still did everything she was doing before the marriage. The only thing that changed was now in her 50 million won penthouse, she has a roommate… who is her also wife.

Apparently, said wife also likes to sleep in her underwear.

On the first night it happened, it was safe to say that Seulgi could never forget it.

Who in their right mind would forget the sight of Park Sooyoung, model extraordinaire, in lacy red underwear?

Definitely not Seulgi.

Seulgi, innocent and respectful Seulgi, felt panic take over her still groggy body and flailed aimlessly. She fell on the floor, cursing herself for her clumsiness. The noise successfully woke up the sleeping beauty beside her, who then peeked at Seulgi. At the sight of the sleepy Sooyoung, graced with the forgiving sunlight that somehow enhanced her beauty, Seulgi felt her heart skip a beat.

She’s so beautiful.

And somehow, her friend agrees with her.

“Seulgi-ssi?”

“G-Good morning!” Seulgi yelled, cringing at the way she stuttered. Her heart raced in nervousness, hoping the younger woman couldn’t see it. “I-I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“With the way you fell and shouted? Yeah.” Joy laughed. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice Seulgi’s current dilemma. The young woman yawned as she stretched her body, and Seulgi can’t tear her gaze from the sight. She felt her cheeks blush, her heart racing.

Stop acting like a young, hormonal alpha. She wanted to slap herself but she still can’t look away. Get a grip, Kang Seulgi!

“See something you like?”

Flustered and embarrassed, Seulgi looked away. She saw Sooyoung smirking at the corner of her eye, and, if it was even possible, the alpha blushed even harder. She stood up and immediately walked towards her emergency stash of shirts (in case she was too tired to go to her walk-in closest), and pulled out the shirt on top. She threw it towards Sooyoung, covering her eyes.

“Please wear that,” she said. She was amazed at the fact that she didn’t stutter. “It’s cold.”

“Are you sure it’s because of the cold, Seulgi-ssi?” A pause, then a giggle. Even without looking at her, she knew that the omega was smirking. 

“Yes.”

“Okay then.”

Seulgi stilled, listening to the rustling sheets. She could faintly pick up the scent of honey in the room. A deeper blush crept to her cheeks and she shifted her legs uneasily, trying to clear the traces of the alluring scent lingering in her mind.

“You can open your eyes now, Seulgi-ssi.”

Seulgi cautiously lowered her hand and peeked. Joy still wasn’t wearing the shirt.

“Joy-ssi!”

* * *

Shortly after Seulgi embarrassed herself in front of the young omega, she excused herself to take a bath. Her morning schedule was vacant, courtesy of her secretary who wanted her to have a good rest considering how busy the previous days were. It allowed her to wake up late, take a decent bath, and have a breakfast that wasn’t ordered for the first time in quite a long time. Seulgi enjoyed the escape from her hectic work schedule.

Still, no matter how cold the water was, Seulgi couldn’t entirely erase the image of Joy in her lacy underwear. It wasn’t like it was the first time she saw someone wearing only that. And no, Seulgi is not frustrated. She had a decent record of one night stands, and even if it has been a long time since she had any sexual encounter, it didn’t mean that Seulgi is frustrated.

No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, her friend seemed to disagree.

“Seulgi-ssi!” Joy’s muffled voice from outside the bathroom snapped her out from her reverie. She turned off the shower to hear the younger woman’s voice clearer. “How do you like your coffee?”

“Three creams and two sugars please.”

“Okay!”

Seulgi heard footsteps going away from the bathroom door, and she sighed. She decided that it was time to face the omega, who is hopefully wearing a shirt now. She stepped out of the shower and wore the soft bathrobe she prepared.

Joy was nowhere around her bedroom anymore. Seulgi felt relief wash over her, and she didn’t even know why she was so relieved.

What’s wrong with me today?

Even after a cold shower and lots of self-reflecting, Seulgi still couldn’t get herself together. Maybe she didn’t sleep well. Maybe yesterday’s event exhausted her too much. Maybe she was tired, that’s all.

(It wasn’t because of a pretty woman in sexy underwear and the scent of honey. Definitely not.)

She’s an adult. She can do this. Maybe.

Seulgi took her glasses resting in the nightstand and walked out, still in her robe, and with a towel wrapping her hair. She spotted Joy sitting in one of the stools beside the counter, eating in a bowl of what looked like salad. Seulgi caught a whiff of freshly cooked breakfast and coffee in the air, making her stomach grumble.

“Seulgi-ssi, I…” Joy paused when she looked at Seulgi. Seulgi, not knowing what to do, gave a small awkward smile as she at a stool a little farther away from the younger woman. Joy cleared her throat as if snapping out of her daze and continued, “I don’t really cook a lot so I cooked what I can. I hope you’re okay with it.”

On the plate before her was a happy smile made of slices of bacon, eggs, and ketchup. The eggs were its eyes, bacon as its smile, and the ketchup looked like tiny blushes. Seulgi couldn’t help but smile at the plate, her heart melting.

“It’s cute,” she said timidly. “Thank you.”

Joy smiled and Seulgi’s heart did a little thing. “You’re welcome, Seulgi-ssi.”

They both ate in silence. Seulgi was chomping cheerfully at the food, relishing in the feeling of eating home-cooked breakfast. There was a strange, but not unwelcomed, feeling brewing in her chest. Joy, on the other hand, was eating her salad with a reserved smile, eyes carefully observing Seulgi.

A few minutes passed, and Joy was the first to speak. “I didn’t know you wear glasses.”

Seulgi paused, a piece of half-eaten bacon halfway to her mouth. She shyly pushed back her glasses with her free hand. "I actually have bad eyesight,” she confessed. “I wear glasses at home and wear contacts at work. Jisoo… um, she’s my secretary, she told me I don’t look professional with my glasses on so I decided to stick with contacts.”

“She’s right,” the omega mused with an amused smile. “You’re too adorable with those glasses on.”

“Wha—“ Seulgi choked on the egg she was eating. Joy passed on the orange juice she prepared, her smile a tiny bit apologetic. Seulgi simply stared at her as she downed the juice. When she finished, the first thing she said was, “I’m not adorable.”

What the hell, Seulgi!

“Yes, you are,” Joy insisted. Seulgi’s cheeks flushed, and before Seulgi could refute (with a pout that was definitely not of an alpha’s), the younger woman asked, “Do you have work today?

Seulgi looked at the clock. It was around 9:50, and she had a meeting around 11. “Yes.”

“Oh.” For a moment, Joy looked mildly disappointed but a cheerful smile suddenly replaced it. “Well, you better finish your coffee, Seulgi-ssi. I’ll go take a bath.”

Seulgi watched as Joy stood up and walked to the room.

Was I imagining things?

Seulgi shook her head.

Maybe.

And in silence, she drank the coffee in her hands.

* * *

Seulgi wasn’t on top of her performance today.

She was absentminded most of the time. Not that it was anything new, but she never made it obvious.

“Are you okay, Ms. Kang?” one of her employees asked in worry.

Seulgi, who tripped over thin air just now, did her best to keep her pride intact, even if her tomato cheeks betrayed her. She was, after all, the CEO of her company and she had an image to uphold, or at least what’s left of it.

“Thank you. I’m okay. Please excuse me.” As soon as she said that, she immediately speed-walked towards the elevator, not even waiting for her secretary.

“You’re really out of it today,” Jisoo commented, looking at Seulgi with a suspicious gaze. Seulgi avoided her secretary’s scrutinizing gaze as best as she could. Jisoo shook her head and leaned back. “You can talk to me, Seul.”

Seulgi sighed. “I know. Thank you, Jisoo. It’s just…”

“Tough morning?”

“Yeah.” The alpha gave a tired smile. “Tough morning.”

It wasn’t only a tough morning.

On her first meeting of the afternoon, Seulgi zoned out so much that she wasn’t able to listen to the meeting at all. When the board asked for her opinion, she was so out of it that she wasn’t able to answer anything. Fortunately, or unfortunately for Seulgi, one of the investors who attended her wedding misunderstood Seulgi’s current predicament.

“It must be because CEO Kang is very tired,” he joked. “After all, CEO Kang is a young alpha! It’s only been less than a week since she got married. She probably got drained by her pretty wife… if you know what I mean.”

As the man laughed, followed by the other alphas in the board, Seulgi did her best to hide her grimace, giving off a fake laugh.

“If you know what I mean,” Jisoo mimicked after they walked out of the meeting, laughing so hard she snorted, much to Seulgi’s annoyance.

“Do that again and I’ll take one of your day-offs.”

One in the afternoon, Seulgi ordered her second coffee of the day in hopes to get her embarrassment out of her system and replace it with caffeine instead. When her coffee arrived, she forgot she ordered hot coffee and immediately downed it, burning her tongue. In a panic, she released the cup and spilled the rest on herself.

As much as she tried to hold it back, she ended up screaming.

“Seulgi!” In a panic, Jisoo rushed into her office. Seeing Seulgi with her tongue out and fanning her stained shirt, Jisoo deadpanned, “What.”

Three in the afternoon, Seulgi already changed her clothes twice. Aside from the accident earlier in the afternoon, because of a moment of absentmindedness, she bumped on an employee who was drinking coffee, effectively spilling the contents to shirt again.

“CEO Kang, I’m so sorry!” the poor girl looked like she was about to cry, repeatedly bowing her head.

“It’s okay,” Seulgi said. And it was okay. After all, the coffee that the girl was drinking wasn’t as hot as the one she spilled on herself earlier. Seulgi thought she already built immunity against hot coffee on herself. Like some sort of superpower, she thought to cheer herself up a bit.

But who even wants that superpower? Maybe Seulgi.

Seulgi went back to her office after she walked around the company. Jisoo stared at her.

“Again?”

Seulgi had the decency to at least look a little sheepish. “Again.”

Jisoo shook her head in exasperation as she passed on Seulgi’s last extra office clothes.

Aside from those, Seulgi’s “little misfortunes” included: tripping thrice, hitting tables, accidentally bumping walls, absentmindedly going to random places and forgetting why she went there in the place, and a lot more.

It was safe to say that the whole company already noticed that their boss was absolutely out of it.

“Okay.” Jisoo slammed the door in Seulgi’s office and glared at the alpha almost as if she wasn’t her boss. “You’re really, really out of it today. Like, much worse than that one time you blacked out twice because you were dead drunk and suffered a head-splitting migraine the day after. Spill the tea, Seul.”

“S-Spill the tea?” Jisoo was at it again, using those weird phrases that Seulgi learned on Twitter.

“Spill the tea, Seul!” her secretary groaned at Seulgi’s confused face. Suddenly, Jisoo stopped her pacing and slowly turned to Seulgi with a horrified expression. “Did something happen between you two?”

Images of Joy in her underwear plagued her mind again. “W-What?”

“Something did happen!” Jisoo exclaimed. “I can’t believe that asshole Song was right! How was it? Did she tire you out that why you’re tired and extra Ddeulgi today?”

“W-What are you talking about? Ji—“

“Don’t tell me you fell asleep right after?”

“J-Jisoo!”

Seulgi wanted to push Jisoo off a cliff and jump after. Sure, she may be considered as inexperienced in the field of sexual activities as an alpha. But it didn’t mean that she’ll fall asleep right after. She didn’t need experience, she only needed her instincts and alpha prowess to guide her.

Why am I even defending myself? Seulgi massaged her temple at the growing headache. Her face was burning in panic and embarrassment and maybe a tiny bit of arousal at the thought of doing the “it”. Seulgi groaned internally. Stop thinking!

“Look,” Seulgi said after Jisoo calmed down, “nothing happened.”

Jisoo’s teasing look was all she needed to know that the beta doesn’t believe her at all. “Nothing?”

The alpha sighed. “Nothing.”

“Okay, okay,” the beta wheezed for the last time and made herself comfortable on the sofa in Seulgi’s office. “But why are you so out of it?”

Seulgi pondered if it was okay letting Jisoo know. Her best friend might not be an alpha but considering that Jisoo had a girlfriend, maybe she could tell her about her current dilemma.

But how am I supposed to tell her what happened this morning?

“Seulgi,” Jisoo suddenly spoke. The teasing look was gone, replaced with gentleness and warmth. “I know I tease you a lot but you know that’s just how I am. I’ve known you for years so I know something is up. I can’t match Joohyun when it comes to advise but Seul,” Jisoo paused, staring at Seulgi with sincerity, “You can rely on me.”

“I already am relying on you though,” Seulgi replied bashfully. Her heart was melting, not that she’ll admit that.

“Well, I’m your secretary so of course, you have to rely on me,” Jisoo retorted back with a teasing grin. “But mind you, it’s not for free.”

The pair laughed at each other. Truthfully, Seulgi was grateful that she met Jisoo. Even if they were a year apart, Seulgi loved the fact that Jisoo treated her for who she was and not because she is an alpha or a Kang. May it be as her secretary or as her friend, Jisoo was loyal and reliable.

Seulgi sighed. She knew she had to tell someone about it or she won’t be getting any sleep tonight. “Promise me you won’t judge.”

“I won’t.”

“Or laugh,” Seulgi added with a glare.

Jisoo grinned. “I’ll try.”

“Okay,” Seulgi started, inhaling deeply. “Something happened—“

“Oh my—“

“—but not the something that you’re thinking about!” Seulgi interjected with a flustered blush. “It’s just… this morning, I saw Joy in her underwear.”

“And?”

“I saw Joy in her underwear!” Seulgi repeated, arms flailing around.

Jisoo frowned. “What’s wrong with seeing someone in their underwear? I mean, you guys are living together so you have to get used to that. She’s also your wife, remember?”

The alpha groaned. “That’s not the point! I saw her in her underwear and had it.”

“It?”

“Yes. It.”

Jisoo blinked for a few seconds, staring at Seulgi in confusion. Then, like a light bulb turning on, the beta’s eyes turned wide with her mouth open. “You had a boner?”

Seulgi crinkled her eyebrows at the term. “Yes.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I-I don’t know.” Jisoo stared at her, unamused. Seulgi felt antsy. “But it feels wrong.”

The sighed. She looked like a mother that was about to scold her child, and Seulgi internally braced herself. “Look, Seul, there’s nothing wrong with it. Bet you didn’t do anything about it and just had a cold shower.” Seulgi blinked in surprise. How did Jisoo know that? “I’ve known you for years and you’re the only alpha I know who isn’t like an alpha. Hell, I wouldn’t even know you were an alpha if it weren’t for Jisoo-unnie.” Jisoo gave a short laugh before turning serious again. “I know it’s just you being respectful towards Joy, but you can’t control the way your body works. You’re an alpha, it’s normal to have boners or hard-ons or whatever you guys have. As long as you respect her and you know your boundaries, you have nothing to feel guilty of.”

Seulgi stayed silent. Jisoo, as usual, had a point. Maybe it was just her overthinking but she couldn’t help herself. “I just want her to be comfortable,” the alpha sighed in resignation. “She was forced to get married to me. She’s also a victim dragged into this mess, Soo. I want Joy to know that I’m not her enemy.”

Without missing a beat, Jisoo answered, “Then show it to her.”

The alpha chuckled at the curt reply. Trust Jisoo to have simple solutions over a problem. It was one of the things that Seulgi liked about her secretary; blunt and always straight to the point.

“I don’t even know where to start,” the alpha confessed.

Jisoo stared at her with an unamused look again, shaking her head in disbelief. “I honestly wonder how you had a girlfriend before.”

“I honestly wonder why Rosé is dating you,” Seulgi retorted, feeling a bit offended at the statement.

“That, my friend, is because I’m irresistible,” Jisoo answered with a shit-eating grin, making Seulgi scoff. Sometimes Seulgi wondered if Jisoo is actually a beta and not an alpha in disguise. “Do you want my help or not?”

“Of course I do.”

Jisoo’s eyes crinkled, an evil-like smile appearing in her face. Seulgi frowned in worry and started to second-guess her decision. Maybe I should ask Joohyun-unnie after all?

Like a villain proposing an evil scheme, Jisoo muttered, “So it goes like this…”

* * *

It has been half a month since Seulgi got married. The day after has been long erased in her mind, replaced by another dilemma.

With Jisoo temporarily taking over Joohyun’s role of being Seulgi’s advisor (the older omega was in a business trip overseas), Seulgi slowly tried to get closer to the omega.

Jisoo actually came up with decent tips and advice, much to Seulgi’s surprise (“Wow, Seul, I’m hurt.”). Her tips and advice were simple, something Seulgi could do, and ones that they thought would surely work.

But no matter what she did, it wasn’t working.

It wasn’t like Joy was hostile or openly unfriendly towards her. There were times when Joy initiated their conversations. Despite that, Seulgi couldn’t help but feel that Joy was purposely being distant and she didn’t know why.

“You don’t have to rush,” Jisoo reminded her. “It’s only been less than a month.”

It’s not like I failed at everything, Seulgi comforted herself. So far, Seulgi had a few accomplishments in her sleeves. Not only did Seulgi learned some of Joy’s interests (the ones not in the files she read), she was also successful in asking Joy her number and letting her call unnie.

Even if Joy initiated that conversation as well.

“You can just call me Joy, Seulgi-ssi,” Joy said one night while they were both eating the chicken Seulgi ordered from Bok Chicken. She learned that Joy liked fried chicken yesterday so Seulgi immediately went out of her way to buy Joy’s favorite chicken (as per Jisoo’s suggestion). “It’s weird that we’re acting so formal, considering we’re living together.”

“Oh.” Seulgi looked at Joy. “Then is it fine if I call you Joy?”

“I already said that,” Joy laughed. Seulgi liked the way her eyes turn into crescents when she laughs. “I guess I have to start calling you unnie.”

The alpha choked. “U-Unnie?”

“You’re older than me,” Joy pointed out, pointing at her with a chicken drumstick. “Unless you still want to call you Seulgi-ssi?”

“No, no.” Seulgi shook her head. “It’s okay.”

“Okay.” Joy smiled. “Let’s continue eating, Seulgi-unnie?”

Seulgi hid the giggle that was bubbling in her chest by stuffing greasy fried chicken in her mouth.

The week went on like that, Seulgi trying her best to learn more about Joy and Joy (subtly) keeping her distance. They usually don’t see each other since Joy’s schedules were packed and Seulgi was working most of the time. In the mornings, they eat together unless one has to go to work early. In the evenings, they eat together unless one is about to pass out or already ate beforehand.

They weren’t close, more like acquaintances than friends, but it was okay for Seulgi.

However, one evening, Joy barged in their penthouse, haggard and breathless, with papers in hand.

Seulgi, who was cooking, nearly dropped the spatula she was using when she heard the door slam. Seulgi unconsciously flinched as she watched the tall omega stomp her way towards her before stopping behind the counter and placing the papers on the surface.

“H-Hello?” Seulgi didn’t know what to say so she settled with a greeting. She turned off the stove and wiped her hands with a towel, approaching the counter cautiously.

“Hello,” Joy greeted back, catching her breath. She was sweating profusely like she ran all the way to the penthouse. Seulgi thought how Joy remained pretty despite sweating like that. “I looked at my schedule for the year. I have lots of projects and a few deals with international brands. I’ll also join season fashion shows and will get more project offers from those.”

While listening to Joy, Seulgi’s eyes flitted over the papers that the younger woman brought. Indeed, they were various contracts and schedules of Joy’s work. Seulgi’s eyes widened in amazement, reading some big brands she recognized. She couldn’t help but think how amazing it was, considering Joy was still quite young in the industry.

Joy clapped, snapping Seulgi’s attention back to her. “So, let’s have a deal.”

“A deal?” Seulgi blinked. She didn’t expect that.

“A deal,” Joy repeated. Her face was serious, eyes burning in determination. Seulgi felt a bit intimidated by the way the younger woman was looking at her. “You and I were forced to get married.”

Seulgi nodded silently.

“So,” Joy continued, “once I pay our debts, let’s get divorced.”

Seulgi blinked. Joy was smiling but it wasn’t the same smile she usually gave Seulgi. She was serious.

“It will take you years,” Seulgi answered. It wasn’t an exaggeration. She looked at the numbers in the contract. They were big deals and the pay was quite hefty, but Seulgi knew it will barely dent the debt the Parks had. However, seeing the way Joy deflated, the alpha felt the need to comfort her somehow. Softly, she added, “You could pay a quarter or at least half of it.”

“A quarter?” Joy exclaimed, looking flabbergasted and her eyes comically wide.

Seulgi couldn’t help herself but laugh. “It will take you years to pay it in full, Joy. You’ll end up overworking if you want to pay it quickly. Even a quarter of the debt is still quite a lot.” Joy was pouting, and Seulgi knew she hit a mark. “Besides, the debt wasn’t that big and the company already benefited a lot from the connections your company has.”

“Wasn’t that big?” Joy scoffed. Seulgi was afraid that she sounded too boastful but seeing the way Joy was looking at her teasingly, the alpha smiled. “Hundreds of millions isn’t big?”

Seulgi shrugged.

“Wow.” Joy sat down on one of the barstools, blinking in disbelief. “I usually forget that you’re a billionaire since I saw you inhale 5 pieces of chicken at once.”

Seulgi blushed. “I wasn’t inhaling it! Besides, I wasn’t the one who finished all of the chicken!”

“There was only a few left,” the omega defended herself, pouting in a way that Seulgi found adorable.

“Joy, it was 10 pieces.”

The two stared at each other before bursting into laughter. The tense atmosphere disappeared just as fast as it came. Seulgi looked at Joy laughing, happy and carefree. She wondered if there will be a time where she won’t be seeing this anymore. If she’ll be alone in this big house that was never a home for her again.

It’s for the best, she reasoned to herself, wondering why a part of her was bothered. This was just an arranged marriage after all.

“So,” Joy extended her hand towards her, “deal?”

Seulgi took her hand and shook it. “Deal.”

After the short commotion, Seulgi went back to cooking with the help of Joy. They talked about a lot of things; how their day went, how Joy will pay, a few sets of rules regarding their deal, and other everyday topics. Just like that, the two slipped back to their usual evenings, talking and eating together.

Still, the unsettling feeling didn’t leave Seulgi.

“This will be easy,” Joy said after they agreed on the rules. She was giggling, and Seulgi found herself giggling as well. Joy was infectious like that. “I’ll pay our debts, get divorced, and we’ll be back to normal in no time. It’s the perfect deal, I tell you.”

“As long as you won’t fall for me.”

“You don’t have to worry, unnie,” Joy said, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. “Park Sooyoung never falls in love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for the late update ;-; i was busy with other things (other things = missing wendy, fangirling over the SR teasers, watching Yeri Bang, writing a wenrene oneshot) but here's the new chapter! thank you for all the kudos, comments, and for those who bookmarked it :) see you in the next chapter!!


	5. chapter five

A month into their “marriage”, Sooyoung felt like nothing changed.

Well, not nothing- _nothing_. Her life just turned 180 degrees (for better or for worse, Sooyoung didn’t know yet) but it wasn’t like everything changed. She was still Sooyoung, albeit a rich, married Sooyoung.

For instance, she was called Mrs. Kang _._ It felt weird, and, if she could, she would prefer it if people call her Park Sooyoung. But the news spread fast and before she even realized it, everyone was calling her Kang Sooyoung. Everyone except her best friend, Wendy.

She also usually forgot that she’s now downright _filthy_ rich. Sooyoung did grow up from a rich family and she _was_ a spoiled brat at some point but that was her life before she started modeling. Meeting a lot of people made her realize that many people weren’t as privileged as her. After she got her first modeling job, she stopped using her family’s money and became independent. She learned how to schedule her shopping sprees based on the season (thank God for sales and brand sponsors). But now, she realized, she could shop all she wanted without waiting for a sale or even looking at the price tag.

Aside from those, Sooyoung also noticed that all the “flirting” of her coworkers have stopped entirely. Even the most annoying suitors that constantly pestered her for days stopped bothering her. In her recent photoshoots, nobody dared to flirt with Sooyoung. She remembered that one time when someone did in one of her photoshoots the other day, and the poor guy received an earful from his boss and would’ve gotten fired if Sooyoung didn’t save his sorry ass.

Once again, Sooyoung wondered how powerful the Kangs are.

The “subtle” changes weren’t all good. Being a model, Sooyoung already had a handful of paparazzi following her. However, the moment she became the wife of a young CEO of a multimillion company, this handful became a butt-load. There were a few paparazzi who would follow Sooyoung _anywhere_ , much to her annoyance. She couldn’t freely roam around Seoul (or anywhere in South Korea, really) as much as she used to. The last time she did, a few tabloids were feasting on a picture of her eating alone in a cake shop.

_Marriage in shambles already? Kang Sooyoung, wife of Kang Empire’s CEO, spotted alone in a coffee shop!_

Sooyoung was fuming in anger, glaring at the stupid headline that absolutely made no sense to her. She wasn’t even listening to her PR’s lecture anymore. Why did it even matter? Why do they have to make the smallest thing a big deal? What’s wrong with eating cake alone in a damn cake shop?

 _Because your wife is a CEO of a multimillion company_ , Wendy would tell her. As if she didn’t know that.

Speaking of her wife, she rarely saw Seulgi at the penthouse they shared. She was usually out, working in her office, and Jisoo, Seulgi’s secretary who Sooyoung recently became close with, told her that the alpha sleeps there often (before Sooyoung was added to the picture). It made her worry if the older woman was taking care of herself or not. They certainly are not close ( _yet_ , a traitorous voice in her mind added) but as her wife, Joy can’t help herself but worry.

It wasn’t like Seulgi was avoiding her duties as Sooyoung’s—she can’t still wrap her head around this—wife. In fact, Seulgi was very accommodating to her needs and whims, always checking up on the omega and allowing her to do whatever she wants. Sometimes, if the older woman had time, she would engage in small talks and ask Sooyoung about her day. Every afternoon, Seulgi would also text Sooyoung with her personal phone, making sure that Sooyoung had eaten lunch and informing her whether or not she could be home in the early evening. It didn’t feel like Seulgi was forcing herself; Joy could see her looking at her with an intense gaze, keenly listening to her every word, and giving comments now and then. In a rare instance, Seulgi would invite Joy to have lunch and they’ll talk about nothing and everything.

They were, in a legal sense, a married couple. But for Sooyoung, it felt like living with a roommate who rarely comes home instead of a wife.

Sooyoung knew that since they agreed in that divorce thing, they shouldn’t interact that much. She knew that Seulgi had no obligations to act as a wife to her. Sooyoung was confused as to why Seulgi was friendly towards her and actually looked like she wanted to get close to her. After all, their marriage was a business deal.

Despite convincing herself that she wasn’t bothered, Sooyoung was now in a coffee shop with her best friend, ranting about her ambiguous relationship with her wife.

“I don’t know why but it’s…” Sooyoung did weird gestures with her hands as Wendy stared at her, unamused. “Weird.”

“In short,” Wendy cut her off after her admittedly long rant, “she’s caring and friendly, and it’s bothering you.”

The omega blinked. It was actually a good summary of everything she said. “Yes.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Wendy asked, taking a bite of the red velvet cake they ordered. “I mean, to be honest, we thought that she’ll be a jerk. Shouldn’t you be glad that she isn’t? Just treat her like you treat a friend. After all, you’re planning on a divorce once your debts are paid off. Getting attached to her would just make things harder, you know.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “You’re making it sound like I’m going to fall for her.”

“There’s always a possibility.”

“You and your hopeless romantic ass.” Sooyoung shook her head, laughing. Wendy protested with a weak “Hey!” and a frown, making her laugh harder. “Anyway,” she cleared her throat, “how’s your job-hunting going?”

Wendy’s lips turned into a pout. “Don’t change the subject.”

“I don’t want my best friend to be unemployed.” Sooyoung gave Wendy a sickly sweet smile, and Wendy’s shoulders deflated. “Not going well?”

Finally giving up, Wendy sighed. “The whole thing with the manager somehow gave me a bad reputation and the jobs I applied to didn’t want to take me in.”

“Or maybe you’re just really unlucky,” the younger woman snickered. After a moment, a thought suddenly entered her mind. “Wait, I have an idea.”

“I don’t like where this is going.” Wendy had all the right to be nervous, seeing the mischievous grin that was in Sooyoung’s face. Being friends for years, Wendy already knew (and experienced firsthand) about the omega’s “ideas” and her knack for mischievousness.

Sooyoung immediately fished her phone out of the bag, scrolling through her screen as she looked for a particular contact. She smiled when saw the contact she was looking for, and smiled a bit wider when saw the bear emoji beside the contact name.

She typed, **[Are you busy right now?]**

A few seconds later, a reply came. **[just finished a meeting]** was the text on the first bubble, followed by **[i think i have the afternoon off]** , then another one **[why???]**.

Sooyoung still can’t get over the fact that the Kang Empire CEO wasn’t the type to use capital letters in texts. She replied, **[I want you to meet someone. She’s my friend.]** After pondering a bit, she added, **[She’s looking for a job.]**

The omega stared at the seen mark, watching as the three dots danced on her screen. She quietly peeked at Wendy, watching the older woman look at her with a wary gaze, as if saying _I don’t trust whatever you’re doing, Sooyoung._

Ding. Sooyoung looked back to her phone. There was a reply from Seulgi.

 **[come to the office then]** , then **[i’ll see what i can do]** and a smiley.

Sooyoung stared at the smiley and shook her head. Kang Seulgi was a cute person.

Sooyoung stood up, startling the eating Wendy in the process. She pocketed her phone and looked at Wendy, whose eyes were wide and mouth agape as it awaited for the red velvet cake that was halfway to her mouth.

“Come on,” she said as she grabbed her bag. “We’re leaving.”

“What?” Wendy looked at her incredulously, eyes flitting from the younger woman to her unfinished cake. She stood up anyway. “Where are we going?”

Sooyoung smirked. “To my wife’s office.”

* * *

No matter how many times Sooyoung entered the Kang Tower, it never failed to steal her breath away.

Sooyoung didn’t have any knowledge about buildings and whatnot, but she could already tell that the building was not an ordinary one. It was easily one of the highest buildings in Seoul, and you couldn’t even see the top unless you’re watching from a distance. The aura alone that the building exudes was already screaming money and professionalism.

Wendy craned her neck to see the entirety of the Kang Tower with her mouth agape. Sooyoung would’ve laughed if she didn’t do the same when she first visited the building.

Sooyoung felt nervous. She’s visited the Kang Tower a lot of times, especially when she drops by to eat lunch with Seulgi. In all of those times, she was just waiting by the reception on the ground floor, wasting time by chatting with employees while waiting for Seulgi. She never visited Seulgi’s office, let alone see it.

_Let’s get this over with._

The moment Sooyoung stepped inside the building, the security guard greeted her with a nod of his head and a friendly smile. Heads turned towards her, the employees recognizing who just entered the building. Anyone could easily recognize her. After all, she is a model and there’s a huge framed picture of their wedding that was still plastered near the reception of the building. The sight made Sooyoung embarrassed. Maybe she should ask Seulgi to take it down later.

“Mrs. Kang.” A group of employees greeted her. All of them were bowing their heads in respect. Joy stood shyly, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.

Despite feeling self-conscious, Sooyoung smiled. “Please don’t bow your heads. Treat me like how you treat your coworkers. Also, please call me Joy.”

“But…” one of the older workers weakly resisted.

“It’s okay,” Sooyoung insisted. “I’m not really one for formalities, and I’m just like all of you. Thank you for working hard, everyone. I hope all of you will continue supporting my wife in the company.”

It seemed like what she did was quite the display. Employees greeted her from left to right. The younger ones shyly called her Miss Joy much to her delight, but the older, traditional ones insisted on calling her Mrs. Kang. While they were waiting for the elevator, Sooyoung overheard two younger employees talking about her.

“Miss Joy is so kind,” the blonde one said to her companion. “She’s so pretty, too! Did you see her DAZED shoot? She absolutely killed it.”

“They look really good together with CEO Kang,” the brunette one said with a dreamy sigh.

Sooyoung felt her cheeks flush. She was used to compliments from strangers but hearing them from her wife’s employees made her bashful. Seeing the blush the omega had, Wendy threw a teasing smirk at Sooyoung. An elbow to the gut was what she received in return.

The two of them walked towards the elevators. Wendy, who was tailing her the whole time, kept on looking everywhere, eyes sparkling in amazement.

“Just how big is this building?” Wendy asked. She looked at the Sooyoung with an incredulous look.

“I don’t even know,” the omega answered truthfully with a wry smile. Seulgi was never the one to brag. When Joy asked her just how huge this building was, she only answered “Bigger than usual buildings, I guess.” Sooyoung knew better than to trust the judgment of someone who said hundreds of millions _“wasn’t that big”_. “But I heard they have four cafeterias, two coffee shops, a library, and a gym.”

Wendy turned her head to look at her, eyes comically wide in disbelief in surprise. Joy simply shrugged.

Finally, Sooyoung heard a familiar ding. She grabbed Wendy’s sleeve and dragged the alpha towards the elevator.

“Wait, aren’t we taking that one?” Wendy pointed at the bigger elevator where employees started to file in.

Sooyoung smirked and raised her ID card, the one Seulgi gave her in case she felt like visiting the company. “We’re using Seulgi-unnie’s personal elevator.”

“She has a personal elevator?”

As the two rode the elevator going to Seulgi’s office, Sooyoung ignored Wendy’s small rant about Joy not warning her about how rich and ‘awesome’ her wife is. To be fair, she didn’t exactly know how rich Seulgi was. Seulgi was recognized as one of the youngest and most successful CEOs in Asia. As for the awesome part, she couldn’t really see that. The Kang Seulgi she sees at home was very different from the Kang Seulgi she heard from rumors.

As they stopped on the floor of Seulgi’s office, Wendy commented, “Seulgi could fit right in _Crazy Rich Asians_.”

Sooyoung hummed in agreement.

The pair went to Jisoo’s office (Sooyoung was surprised after knowing that Seulgi’s secretary had her own office but Seulgi answered with “She can be annoying so I just gave her an office”) and, through the glass, saw that Jisoo was handling some papers. Sooyoung softly knocked on the door.

“It’s open.”

The young woman slowly opened the door and peeked her head in. Jisoo looked up from the files she was holding, eyes widening in surprise after she recognized her visitor. “Sooyoungie?”

“Jisoo-unnie!” Sooyoung walked towards Jisoo excitedly just as the secretary moved out of her desk. The two briefly hugged each other, both wearing wide smiles.

“I didn’t know you were coming here,” Jisoo said after the hug. She looked a bit confused. “Or maybe I just didn’t notice your text?”

“I told Seulgi-unnie I was going to come here. She said she has her afternoon off.”

For a moment, the beta looked peeved. “That dumb bear forgot to tell me,” she muttered under her breath but Sooyoung caught it. It made Sooyoung smile, thinking of how close the two older women were (and the adorable nickname). “She’s still in a meeting. We had to insert one because one of the investors from Taiwan had to go back tomorrow.”

A finger poked Sooyoung’s back and she looked back, seeing Wendy glare daggers at her. She _almost_ forgot about her other unnie. Sooyoung smiled not so apologetically. “By the way, Jisoo-unnie, meet Wendy-unnie.”

Wendy awkwardly stepped forward and stretched her hand. “Son Seungwan, but I go by Wendy.”

“Kim Jisoo,” Jisoo took her hand and shook it. “I’m CEO Kang’s secretary.”

“Why are you both so awkward?” Sooyoung laughed. She felt a hand slap her back and another on her arm. “That hurts!”

“By the way, what brings you here?” Jisoo asked as she went back to her desk. She was arranging some files and were placing them in folders, desk neat and organized. Sooyoung remembered Seulgi saying that despite Jisoo’s mischievousness, she was efficient at work. Seeing that in action, Sooyoung felt her respect growing for the older woman.

Sooyoung pointed at Wendy. “My friend here is jobless—“

“Yah!”

“—and I asked Seulgi if she knows a job where Wendy-unnie could apply.”

“A job,” Jisoo hummed, scratching her chin. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “I don’t remember if we have any job hiring for now. But maybe you could ask Seulgi. They’ll finish anytime soon. You can just wait outside the meeting room.”

“Outside the meeting room?” Sooyoung wanted to stay away from people’s eyes as much as possible. She pouted at Jisoo and whined. “Unnie, can’t I just stay here?”

“The sofas outside the meeting room are more comfortable than sitting on the floor,” Jisoo refuted, smiling with what looked like mischief. “Plus, there’ll be employees who’ll come at any time. They’ll get my head if they learn that I made the CEO’s wife sit on the floor. I don’t know what you did but the employees love you already.”

“But unnie—“

“Go, go.”

Sooyoung was ushered out of the door by a grinning Sooyoung. When she was out of the room, Jisoo gave a playful wink before closing the door. Sooyoung sighed and shook her head. She knew that Jisoo was planning something but she didn’t know what. It somehow made her nervous.

In the end, the two of them ended up doing what Jisoo advised. They sat on the admittedly comfortable sofas. With the satisfied look in Wendy’s face as she sunk to the comfortable black sofas, she seemed to agree with Joy’s sentiment. Sooyoung was convinced that those sofas were worth more than her old condominium.

(She was exaggerating, of course. Maybe a quarter of the price of her condominium.)

Just like Jisoo’s office, the meeting room (the smaller one, since they had two on this floor) also had glass panes. The lights were off, saved for the light coming from the projector screen. Sooyoung could barely see what was happening inside. There was a man in front, pointing at images on the projector screen. There were 10 people inside, including the man and—

The way Seulgi looked at that moment surprised her.

She was sitting on the biggest chair in the room, located at the other end of the table. Her eyes were on the screen, nodding in some parts, her face serious. Aside from that time when she first saw Seulgi in their wedding and listening to Taemin’s speech and when they were getting out of the reception, she never saw Seulgi that serious. It was probably because they usually see at each other at home, where Seulgi was _Seulgi_ and not CEO Kang.

Suddenly, the alpha stood up. Most of the people present in the meeting flinched, and the man reporting immediately retreated away from the center. Seulgi replaced the man’s place and the images in the projector changed. Even without hearing what Seulgi was saying, Sooyoung was \captured by Seulgi and the way she took the invisible stage with so much confidence and charisma.

“Is that Seulgi?” Wendy asked, tilting her body towards Sooyoung to get a clearer view. “Wow, she looks so cool.”

 _She’s cool, alright_ , Sooyoung agreed in her mind. No one dared to take their eyes off the alpha, even Sooyoung.

Sooyoung flinched when the lights suddenly turned on. Everyone in the room stood up, clapping their hands, and an older man moved towards Seulgi. They clasped their hands in a firm handshake. Sooyoung couldn’t understand what they were saying but she assumed the meeting went well. The doors opened a moment later, and the people in the meeting room started to walk out.

“Rowoon is gonna get killed,” one of the men walking out muttered to his companion. “He almost bombed the presentation. Good thing CEO Kang took over.”

“CEO Kang is so cool,” another girl said with a dreamy sigh. “She looks gorgeous even when she frowns. How is that possible?”

 _So she has fangirls?_ Sooyoung smiled. Sure, Seulgi was pretty and _sometimes_ cool, but she didn’t expect that the alpha will have fangirls like that. Maybe she’ll ask Jisoo about it later.

(Sooyoung later learned that, no, Seulgi doesn’t only have fans—she has a whole fan club under her name.)

The old man that Seulgi shook hands with came out with many suited men walking behind him. After that, Seulgi finally came out with the man—Rowoon?—who was bowing his head nervously.

“Rowoon-ssi,” Sooyoung was surprised with the stern, _alpha_ tone that Seulgi was using. “Explain yourself.”

The omega watched as the man—who she realized was an alpha—shakily explained himself, stuttering every now and then. An alpha, even the weakest ones, are full of pride and ego. They will never bow down to anyone, especially to a fellow alpha. But the alpha before them was reduced into a nervous mess.

She saw Wendy crinkle her nose and that’s when she realized that Seulgi was producing pheromones. The fact that she didn’t notice baffled her. Maybe she got used to the mix of woody-musky scent and jasmine and honeysuckle, considering that the penthouse always had Seulgi’s scent.

“Rowoon-ssi,” Seulgi spoke again. The man jerked in fear and bowed his head deeper. “I’ll give you your first and last warning. Never let this happen again or you’re out of this company.”

“Yes!” Rowoon bowed his head. “Thank you so much, CEO Kang!”

The man immediately walked away. Sooyoung noticed that he was profusely sweating, and he was… crying?

The omega gulped. Was her judgment towards the alpha wrong just because she saw Seulgi at home? Was the Seulgi she saw now the real version of herself and not the Seulgi she knows?

 _Never trust alphas, Sooyoung_ , a familiar voice in her mind said.

_Shut up._

Sooyoung heard Seulgi sigh and turned to look at her. To her surprise, Seulgi was looking at her as well. The frown in her face slowly melted into surprise then to glee. Sooyoung felt her heart ache.

_Which one is the real you?_

“Joy!” With a wild smile in her face, Seulgi walked towards the omega. She stopped producing pheromones but her scent still lingered in the air. The proximity of the source made her light-headed. “I’m sorry. I really had the afternoon off but Mr. Huang suddenly had to leave tomorrow because of an emergency.” Seulgi smiled shyly. “Did I make you wait?”

“No, we just arrived minutes ago.” Sooyoung was gone and Joy was back. The omega stood up together with Wendy. “Unnie, meet Wendy-unnie.”

“Son Seungwan,” Wendy formally introduced, reaching out her hand. Her face was stiff, and she was subtly producing pheromones as if to challenge Seulgi. It has always been Wendy’s tradition whenever she met one of Joy’s alpha friends. She wanted to see how they would react under obvious provocation. “But I go by Wendy. It’s nice meeting you, Seulgi-ssi.”

However, much to Wendy’s pleasant surprise, the other alpha ignored the challenge and simply shook her hand with a warm smile. “Oh, you’re the best friend Joy talks about. I’m Kang Seulgi. I heard from Joy that we’re just the same age so just call me Seulgi.”

Wendy was looking questioningly at Joy, with a “you talk about me?” look but Joy didn’t mind her. Only one sentenced registered in her head, making her repeatedly think, _she actually listens to me?_

Seulgi’s voice snapped her out from her daze. “Let’s go to my office.”

Wendy and Joy followed Seulgi on the way to her office. Joy watched as all of the employees pass through stop what they were doing just to greet Seulgi. The hushed whispers and chatters were suspended. Even those rushing on their way stopped on their tracks just to bow and greet their CEO. The looks in their faces were a mixture of fear and respect.

And then they reached a wooden brown door. Joy felt nervous.

“I’m sorry, I was busy with the meeting so I didn’t have time to clean up,” Seulgi said apologetically just as she opened the door to her office.

The sight made Joy’s jaw drop.

To say it was big would be an understatement. Even in the companies where she signed contracts to didn’t have an office this _enormous_. It was sophisticated and elegant, and, when Joy thought about it, fairly resembled the master’s bedroom in the penthouse. The window panes were huge, you could easily see the other neighboring buildings, the clouds, and the streets below. There was a sofa that was similar to the ones in the meeting room in the middle of the office. There were even minimalistic statues and paintings in every direction you look at. On one side of the room, there were portraits of the previous CEOs of the Kang Empire, all looking professional and dashing in the tailored suits. And of course, Seulgi’s desk near the windows, sleek and clean, made of the finest materials.

It was once again a reminder that Kang Seulgi is rich and powerful. Maybe one of the richest and most powerful people in South Korea.

“So,” Seulgi awkwardly spoke, snapping her two guests out of their daze, “I heard from Joy that Wendy is looking for a job?”

“Yes,” Wendy answered, settling on the sofa with Joy. How can a sofa be this comfortable? “I, um, had a bad experience in my previous job because of… a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?” Seulgi tilted her hand in confusion.

Joy took matters in her own hands. “The boss’ wife took a liking to Wendy because, as you can see, she’s quite the looker.” Wendy elbowed her and Seulgi agreed with a chuckle. “The boss fired her because of that, and one of her coworkers spread the rumor that she was having an affair. Lots of companies are reluctant to hire her because her boss was quite the big guy. He wasn’t even that handsome.”

“It looks like you were blacklisted,” Seulgi commented. “Do you get turned down before you get an interview?”

Wendy sighed. “Yes.”

Seulgi took the iPad that was on the table, eyes moving rapidly as if she was skimming on a document. Joy couldn’t help herself but stare Seulgi in her all-CEO-glory and noticed (for the nth time) just how good-looking she was.

 _She’s_ _hot_ hot, a voice in her mind added. _Don’t you think it’d be nice if she’ll pin you—_

“There’s no job suitable for you here,” Seulgi said apologetically. “I mean, there are jobs but with your qualifications and years of experience—“

Suddenly, the door opened.

“Kang Seulgi.”

A petite omega with fair skin and a very pretty face ( _but not as pretty as me_ , the competitive side of the omega adds) was standing there with a glare. If looks could kill, her wife could be very much dead by now. Black eyes roamed in the room but when she saw Wendy, the glare disappeared, replaced by shock and surprise.

“Irene…” Wendy muttered beside her, frozen and stiff.

“Wendy?”

“Unnie, you know Wendy?” Seulgi voiced out Joy’s thoughts.

“She’s… an acquaintance,” ‘Irene’ answered coldly before walking towards them.

The closer she got, the more Joy saw how beautiful the omega was. Slim figure, beautiful face, melodic voice—she was a _diamond_ omega. An omega that was considered as the best among the best. Joy couldn’t believe that she was actually facing one now.

Seulgi stood before Joy and Irene as if acting as a mediator. “Um, Joy, meet Joohyun-unnie. Unnie, meet my wife, Joy.”

Irene extended her hand, a professional smile on her face. “I’m Bae Joohyun, but please call me Irene. You can call me unnie since you’re my best friend’s wife. I know she can be a pain in the ass but thank you for taking care of her.”

Joy’s eyes widened in her realization. It was a surprise that she didn’t recognize _the_ Irene Bae. She, along with Seulgi, was among the current top CEOs of all businesses in Seoul. The Kangs and the Baes have been business partners ever since the start of their companies. The omega was also famous for being one of the omega CEOs in the world, a rare feat considering the dynamics of the society where alphas dominate.

In the last statement, Seulgi protested with a pout. Despite the initial intimidation she felt, Joy instantly felt at ease. “Kang Sooyoung, but I prefer Joy. It’s Seulgi-unnie who’s actually taking care of me. It’s nice to meet you, Irene-unnie.”

After they shook hands, it was Wendy’s turn to introduce herself. “I’m Son Seungwan. Wendy.”

Joy couldn’t ignore the awkward nod they shared. She stared at her best friend, eyes burning holes on Wendy. However, it seemed like her best friend was keen on ignoring her.

_How the hell did the know each other?_

Then, like a flash of lightning, Joy remembered that one time they ate together in a café days before her wedding.

“She was so pretty,” Wendy said with a dreamy look. “And hot. Sooyoung, if only you knew how she—“

“Wait.” Sooyoung stopped the alpha, raising a hand. “Spare me the details. Yes, she is pretty. Yes, she is hot. Yes, she is good at doing whatever the hell she did.”

“And she owned a pretty big penthouse,” Wendy continued, not minding the annoyed glare Sooyoung was giving her. “It was twice as big as your apartment, Sooyoung. And you have a huge ass apartment.”

“ _And she drove a BMW,_ ” Sooyoung continued what her best friend was about to say. She was glad that her friend was active in that department but it was already the 3rd time she heard this today. “Why didn’t you get her phone number? Do you even know her name?”

Wendy pouted. “We were drunk! And of course, I know her name. I’ll never forget it.”

“What is it then?”

Wendy grinned at Sooyoung. “Irene.”

Joy’s gasped inwardly. _What the hell_ , she had to hold herself back from laughing and slapping Wendy’s back. _The Irene she was talking about was_ the _Bae Irene?_

“Ah!” Seulgi suddenly exclaimed, clasping her hands. She looked at Irene, then at Wendy, with a wide, bear-like smile. “Unnie, good timing!”

“What?” Irene asked, with a look that was telling Seulgi _I’m still not done with you_. Joy laughed when she saw her wife nervously gulp.

“U-Um, Wendy here is actually looking for a job right now.” Seulgi looked like a child being scolded by her mother, eyes actively evading Irene’s glare. “Unnie recently fired her secretary because… I don’t know, honestly.”

“She was incompetent,” Irene answered in her stead. Then, almost as if challenging her, she looked at Wendy. “Slow, irresponsible, and incompetent.”

“Hey, Misa-ssi wasn’t that bad,” Seulgi weakly defended the former secretary. Joy smiled at the pout. “Anyway, why won’t you let Wendy be your secretary?”

“What?” Irene and Wendy said at the same time, glaring at Seulgi. Seulgi silently shrank at the sudden hostility she was receiving, looking at Joy for help.

She looked at Wendy with a teasing grin. The alpha’s face drained its color, subtly shaking her head.

 _Gotta help wifey_. “It’s a great idea, unnie!” Joy said and stood beside Seulgi. “It may not be obvious but Wendy-unnie is a Harvard graduate. She even received that… President Award.”

“Obama Presidential Award,” Wendy weakly supplied.

“Ah, yes, that,” Joy nodded. She looked at Irene with a sweet smile, ignoring the glare that was now pointed at her. “Don’t you think that Wendy-unnie is qualified, Irene-unnie?”

“You don’t have to hire her right away,” Seulgi added, backing up Joy. “I trust my wife’s recommendation but it’s still ultimately up to you. Weren’t you planning on conducting interviews for that position?”

At that, Irene groaned. Seulgi continued, “It’ll save you time, unnie. Less hassle, you know?”

With the way Irene quieted down as if thinking, Joy knew that they were successful. She looked at Seulgi with a grin, winking at the job well done. Seulgi smiled at her as well, a faint blush on her cheeks.

“Don’t I have a say on this?” Wendy muttered beside her. Joy pinched her on the side, glaring at the older woman, as if saying, _do you really want to be jobless?_

“Fine,” Irene sighed in defeat. She was still glaring at Seulgi and Joy, and looked at Wendy. “Come with me to my office.”

“R-Right now?”

“I trust Seulgi’s recommendation and, from what Joy said, you’re qualified for the position,” Irene answered bluntly, a no-nonsense look on her face. “Think of it as a test, whether or not you’re up for it.”

Then, the older omega approached Seulgi. Joy felt Seulgi still beside her. _She’s scary_ , Joy thought.

“I’m still not done with you.” And just like that, she turned around and headed to the door.

Wendy looked at her, eyes pleading and nervous. Joy simply smiled at her.

“Are you coming or not?”

With one last glare, Wendy followed Irene out of the door. The door shut with a soft click.

Joy released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Well,” Seulgi chuckled drily. “That was something.”

* * *

When they were heading to the parking lot, all of the employees they passed through kept on congratulating them for their wedding (even if a month already passed by) and kept on telling them that they look beautiful together. Some of them even joked that Joy should visit more often since they loved seeing the model around the company. Seulgi joked, "I think they already love you more than me." It was weird how she felt warm when she heard that.

The two of them stepped inside Seulgi’s black Porcshe 911 (Joy almost fainted when she saw the car, it was far more expensive than anything she owned). Joy held her breath when she was inside the car, partly because the car was an absolute beauty even on the inside and mainly because the alpha’s scent was attacking her everywhere.

It was a bit odd, honestly. Most alpha scents annoyed her because they were either too strong or too… alpha-y. But Seulgi’s scent was a different case. Her alpha scent was like a soft blanket around Joy. It made her feel at ease.

Joy scoffed, cutting off her thoughts. _As if I’ll tell her that_.

Suddenly, Seulgi leaned close towards her until they were only an inch apart. Joy couldn’t contain her surprise, her cheeks flushing and heart racing. Then, Joy heard a familiar click, and the alpha leaned back as fast she leaned in.

“You forgot to wear your seatbelt,” Seulgi said with a smile, like she wasn’t aware of the situation she put Joy into. She wore her seatbelt and Joy stared at her in disbelief.

They rode in silence. It turned out that Seulgi gets dizzy when using air-conditioned inside the car so they had their windows low. Joy asked if it wouldn’t be dangerous since reporters or paparazzi might spot them. Seulgi simply answered with, “They don’t know about this car yet, I think. I just bought it last month.”

Joy should really avoid asking about money-related things with Seulgi.

Seulgi was busy with her eyes on the street. Joy was busy distracting herself from thinking at how close Seulgi was, and how the older woman acted as if it was nothing. She wasn’t bothered. No, it didn’t bother her at all.

(It was actually bothering her. Big time.)

She realized that she only thought that Seulgi was going to kiss her because it was what usually happens on the dramas she and Wendy often binge-watched. _Stupid unnie_ , Joy grumbled to herself. _Why would she kiss me anyway?_

“Thank you.” Ruining the silence between the two of them, Joy finally spoke.

They reached a stoplight. Seulgi looked at her in wonder. “For?”

“For helping Wendy-unnie get a job,” Joy answered. She thought about everything that happened these past few weeks. All this time, whether she liked it or not, Seulgi took care of her. The alpha never complained, never hurt her, and never forced her to do anything.

Seulgi is a weird alpha. But, somehow, she found her to be more tolerable than others.

“It doesn’t take a genius to see how important Wendy is to you,” Seulgi replied, her eyes on the road, but Joy saw a faint smile on her face. “Besides, I’m just doing what a good wife should do.”

Joy chuckled, shaking her head, and retorted back, “A good wife shouldn’t always leave her wife alone.”

The smile in Seulgi’s face instantly disappeared, a rueful look replacing it. Joy realized she said something she shouldn’t have but it was too late. She opened her mouth before thinking again. _Stupid Sooyoung_.

They stopped by another stoplight again. Seulgi looked at her and Joy couldn’t keep eye contact with all the sincerity in the alpha’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, softly. “I’m working on all the accounts and investors so the company could have the next few months easy unless there’ll be another investor or problems in stocks or prices. I... I want to get to know you more so I thought it'd be better if I'd do that without my business with the company interfering. It’s only for now, I promise.”

Joy only meant it as a joke. It was only a joke but she didn’t expect that Seulgi was going to take that to heart and answer her _that_ sincerely. Her heart ached again.

“Okay,” was all Joy could answer. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to face those eyes that felt like was looking at her soul. She didn’t understand why she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She didn’t know why she was _touched_ with what the alpha said.

A familiar song started playing on the radio. It was a newly released single by one of her favorite artists. Seulgi turned the volume a bit louder, saying, “I know this song.”

Seulgi started humming to the song.

Joy’s heart started beating louder. She knew that if she will look at her now, it will waste her month of effort.

She looked at her anyway.

And there she was. Kang Seulgi. Her wife that she absolutely knew nothing about. The sun was probably her best friend with the way the setting rays made her glow. She looked breathtaking. She looked ethereal.

Kang Seulgi was the most beautiful person she’s ever laid her eyes on.

“Joy?”

Joy blinked and looked at Seulgi who was already looking at her. “Are you okay?”

The omega nodded and looked away. “Just a little tired.”

“Oh. Do you want to get Bok Chicken?”

“Sure.”

Joy looked away and shook her head.

_Get a grip, Sooyoung._

It was just a trick of the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! thank you for all the comments, kudos, and to those who bookmarked! so now wenrene finally met each other (at least, on this side of the story hehe) :D
> 
> don't forgot to support seulrene's comeback and vote for red velvet in choeaedol! see you on the next update!!


	6. chapter six

Joy was acting strange and Seulgi didn’t know why.

It all started since she went to her office with Wendy and helped her friend find a job. The rest of their ride home was full of silence, and Seulgi didn’t know what to say.

“Are you okay?”

The omega nodded and looked away. “Just a little tired.”

“Do you want to get Bok Chicken?” Seulgi tried.

“Sure,” Joy said without looking at her.

To salvage the rest of her pride, Seulgi decided to shut her mouth.

When they ate the takeout that Seulgi got from Joy’s favorite restaurant, Joy remained quiet, save for the few curt responses, while Seulgi tried her best in being a chatterbox. It seemed like it wasn’t effective because after eating and cleaning up, Joy retired to their shared bedroom with only a “good night”.

 _Maybe she’s tired?_ Seulgi wondered as she watched Joy’s retreating figure. Her worry towards the omega started to grow.

Then it went on for a week. Seulgi thought that she was finally getting somewhere with her efforts but it felt like she was back to square one. If a normal onlooker were to look at their interactions, they’d probably say they look like a typical, married couple. But to Seulgi who has been observing Joy for the past days, it was as clear as day that the omega was actively avoiding her. 

The first half of the week was tolerable. Joy still talked to her, though she didn’t initiate conversations as much as she used to. She was also avoiding looking Seulgi in the eye but Seulgi didn’t bother herself with it. At least Joy was talking to her, right?

When the second half of the week came, Joy wasn’t even hiding that she was avoiding the alpha anymore. Joy woke up extra early in the mornings just to leave early. She’d tell Seulgi that she’ll just grab a bite on her way to work. Every time Seulgi invited her for lunch, she always had an excuse. They don’t even eat dinners together anymore, with Joy telling her that she either ate beforehand or she’s too tired to eat.

There was an air of aloofness starting to build around Joy. Her smile looked forced, almost cold, and Seulgi just wanted to see her warm smile again.

She was at her wit’s end.

 _“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?”_ Joohyun asked over the phone. Seulgi called her unnie to ask—or rant, really—for help. “ _Wendy, that should be printed.”_

Seulgi winced, in place of Wendy, at Joohyun’s icy tone. She got so used to Joohyun being her Joohyun-unnie that she sometimes forget that the older omega was also CEO Irene, the cold and ruthless CEO of Bae Corporation. “I-I don’t know?”

_“What do you mean—Wendy, if Jennie tells you to move the meeting, move the damn meeting—Sorry, Seul, what do you mean you don’t know?”_

“I really don’t know,” Seulgi sighed. She looked at the time and realized it was too early for her sulky moods. She was starting to feel guilty that she was calling Joohyun when both of them are busy. “I’m sorry, unnie, I’ll call later.”

_“Wait, Seulgi—“_

Seulgi ended the call before Joohyun could stop her. She couldn’t help but ask herself, _What if I actually did something?_

Even Jisoo noticed that Joy stopped coming over to the company. It wasn’t like Joy always came over but whenever Seulgi had a lax schedule, she always invited the omega over. To Jisoo, who tags along the technically fake couple, it was strange not seeing the omega for a whole week.

“Did something happen between you and Sooyoung?” Jisoo asked. Seulgi flinched at the mention of her absent wife. The ever-so-keen beta noticed it, staring accusingly at her boss.

“Nothing,” Seulgi said and abruptly stuffed her mouth with food.

Jisoo threw a napkin at the alpha. “Nothing? It’s already 5 days since Joy last visited, Seul. I know your schedule _and_ Sooyoung’s. It comes with being your secretary, by the way. And I’m pretty sure she’s avoiding you. I thought _Operation: Get Close to Sooyoung_ was doing well?”

 _I thought so, too_ , Seulgi unhappily thought as she munched on her food. She hated that Jisoo, as usual, was right on point. Seulgi tried to invite Joy again, for the 5th time that week and was turned down for the 5th time again. She would be lying if she’ll say her pride as an alpha didn’t take a blow. Remembering all the times she was rejected, she felt herself getting sulky again.

 _But I didn’t do anything wrong…_ was what she said to herself. However, a gnawing feeling in her gut kept telling her she did.

“Seul.”

“Yes.”

“The plate is empty.”

“Oh.” Seulgi stopped what she was doing and looked at her plate which was already empty. She sheepishly placed it on the coffee table.

“Something did happen,” Jisoo concluded, huffing. “What is it this time?”

“Yah!” Seulgi exclaimed indignantly. “I didn’t do anything! She just—since her last visit with Wendy, she just started avoiding me. She doesn’t eat breakfast or lunch or even dinner with me anymore.”

Jisoo paused, staring at Seulgi like she was trying to find answers. Seulgi gulped nervously. Then, after a few seconds, the beta leaned back with a sigh.

“Whatever happened between you two, you should talk about it,” Jisoo said. With her tone and the way she looked at Seulgi, she was speaking as her secretary and not as her friend. “It’ll be hell if those dogs get a sniff of it. We can’t have those assholes making stories, especially with Taemin still on your tail.”

“I know, Jisoo.”

When Seulgi became the CEO of the company, the members of the board, especially the traditional ones who believed that male alphas are superior, were against it. Even with their obvious displeasure, they couldn’t object since Seulgi was the legitimate heir and was more than qualified for the position. They simply kept lurking in the shadows, waiting for Seulgi to slip and show weakness.

Seulgi doesn’t want to drag Joy into this mess.

“How about try talking to Wendy?” Jisoo suggested, noticing the somber look in Seulgi’s face. “She’s Sooyoung’s best friend. Maybe she could help your dense ass.”

Seulgi opened her mouth to defend herself. Then she realized that Jisoo, once again, was right. She closed her mouth with a pout.

After a lot of thinking and debates with herself, she finally decided to call Wendy. If there was anyone who knew Joy best (and could help her with what’s happening), it was going to be Wendy.

The phone rang for a few seconds before a tired Wendy answered, _“Hello, Son Wendy speaking.”_

“It’s good to see that you’re adjusting to the job perfectly,” Seulgi teased, unable to stop herself from chuckling. Seulgi would’ve snatched Wendy for herself if Jisoo wasn’t going to curse her for the rest of her life.

 _“Seulgi?”_ Wendy chirped in excitement. She could imagine the other alpha smiling at the other end of the line.

“Hello, Wendy,” Seulgi greeted, smiling even if the woman couldn’t see her. Having the same age and same class made the two of them click instantly. Seulgi loved the fact that Wendy was just like her—as Joy would say—an “unusual” alpha. Knowing that there was an alpha just like her somehow made Seulgi feel better about herself. “Are you busy?”

 _“Doing errands right now, actually,”_ Wendy said. _“Can I just quit and be your secretary? I don’t mind being Jisoo’s assistant… so that’ll make me your assistant secretary. Whatever. I swear, that Bae Irene is trying to kill me.”_

Seulgi laughed. “Joohyun-unnie takes time to warm up, Wen.”

 _“Guess I’ll die before that happens,”_ Wendy scoffed. _“Anyway, what made you call?”_

“Oh, um,” Seulgi cleared her throat nervously, “I need help?”

_“Are you asking for help or are you asking if you need help?”_

“Asking for help,” Seulgi answered nervously. “It’s about Joy.”

 _“Joy?”_ Wendy’s voice raised octaves and Seulgi could imagine the alpha’s expressive eyes and eyebrows. _“Don’t tell me she slept on her underwear again? I already told her—“_

“Wait, no!” Seulgi’s face flushed. _Just when I finally forgot about it…_ “It’s not about that. I just wanted to ask if something weird happened lately?”

 _“Something weird?”_ the other line went quiet for a few seconds. Then Wendy spoke, “Nothing I know of. _Why? What did Sooyoung do?”_

“She’s been avoiding me… kind of.” It wasn’t _kind of_ , the omega was full-on avoiding her, not that Wendy had to know. She knew Joy will get a scolding from the alpha and Seulgi didn’t want that. “I’m wondering if I did something but I really don’t remember anything I did that might piss her off. Maybe she told you something?”

 _“She didn’t tell me anything,”_ Wendy said. Seulgi felt her shoulders sag. There goes her last ray of hope. _“But I’ll try to know if something happened. Thank you for telling me, Seul.”_

“You don’t have to thank me,” Seulgi said softly, feeling herself getting shy. “Thank you, Wen.”

Seulgi ended the call with a sigh, leaning back to her executive seat. She looked at her phone but, as usual, there was no text. No “Are you busy?”, no “What are you doing?”, no Joy. It was weird. She didn’t know why she was bothered. She didn’t know why it… hurt.

She heard knocks resounding on the door. She sighed again and sat properly.

“Come in.”

Seulgi was gone and CEO Kang was back. She'll tuck her feelings in the back of her mind for now. After all, she still had a company to run.

* * *

Seulgi, with Jisoo’s persistence, decided to surprise Joy and pick her up from work. She had so much free time in the afternoon that Jisoo insisted that she could leave early. Seulgi felt grateful for her secretary. Jisoo was a good friend, even if annoying at times.

She learned from Wendy that Joy was going to have a photoshoot in a building a few blocks away from the Kang Tower ( _“Why did she turn me down when I invited her earlier?”_ she thought sulkily) so it was quite the short trip. Seulgi was anxious. She was afraid of how the omega was going to react.

 _Will she run away again?_ She remembered all the times Joy avoided her. Her chest stung.

Suddenly, a ping came from her phone. She immediately grabbed it, nervous and hopeful.

But it was just Wendy. It said, **[Seul]** on the first bubble then **[I cant think of anyone else who’ll drive around a Porsche 911]** on the second, and **[Is that your car?]** on the third.

Seulgi blinked in surprise. **[how did you know??]** , she replied.

 **[I’m on the building]**.Seulgi anxiously stared at the dancing three dots on her screen. **[I’m with Sooyoung]** then **[She’ll finish in less than 30 mins, I guess]**.

Seulgi sighed. She leaned back the driver’s seat and internally prepared herself. She felt ten times—no, a hundred times more nervous. Maybe even close to how nervous she felt at her wedding.

 _It’s just Joy._ A voice oddly sounded like Jisoo was talking in her mind. _You’ve faced scarier people, Seul. You’ll be fine._

While she was mentally prepping herself, her phone lit up with a ding.

 **[There’s a flower shop a block from here]** , Wendy texted. After moments later, it followed, **[Sooyoung likes sunflowers]**.

 _I thought she was the red roses type_ ¸ she thought. But then again, Joy was never what she expected she would be.

She took her coat from the passenger’s seat and wore it before heading out. Seulgi wasn’t that dense. Wendy telling her about the flower shop and Joy’s flower preference only meant one thing: she wanted Seulgi to buy flowers for Joy.

_Or maybe she’s just… sharing?_

As if Wendy was reading her mind, a text came, **[Jisoo told me you have a dense ass so, yes, go buy her some damn flowers]**.

Seulgi wasted no time and went ahead to the flower shop.

After buying a small bouquet of sunflowers and mustering all of her self-discipline not to buy the biggest one, Seulgi ended up waiting outside her car. She felt like if she was going to go back inside her car, she’ll end up chickening out and might drive away. Her nerves were eating her and she almost squeezed the bouquet in her hands. In the end, she stood still, trying her best not to let her nerves get the best of her.

She jerked so hard she almost dropped the bouquet when her coat—or rather, something in her coat—vibrated. Seulgi took out her phone in haste, almost dropping it in the process. When she saw Wendy calling, she answered right away.

 _“Do you have the flowers with you?”_ Wendy, not beating around the bush, said.

“Y-Yes.” Seulgi internally cursed as she stuttered. She unconsciously held on the bouquet harder.

 _“Good.”_ The taller alpha could imagine her fellow alpha grinning. It was giving her chills. _“Get inside the building. We’ll be done in 5 minutes.”_

“What?”

_“See you later, Seul.”_

Then Wendy ended the call.

_What?_

Seulgi stood still. There’s no way in hell she was going to go inside. If she were to go inside, who knows what might happen. Was it going to be like in those drama scenes? The ones where the main lead gets slapped for doing something a woman didn't want? She didn’t know. She didn't want to know.

 _Am I even the main character in this?_ Seulgi was going through an existential crisis.

Her phone vibrated again, a text from Wendy on her screen. **[If you’re going to back out, I’ll tell Jisoo :P]**

Since when did Jisoo and Wendy get chummy? Either way, Seulgi knew she has no escape. _Oh well_ , she thought as she stepped inside the building with her nerves on fire, _if something happens, I’ll blame this on Jisoo._

Thankfully, there was a waiting lounge with white sofas. Seulgi awkwardly sat, thinking of how uncomfortable it was. She didn’t know what to do. As the seconds passed by, she grew more conscious and anxious. _What would Joy think if she sees me here? Will she get mad? Will she ignore me as usual?_

Seulgi can’t help but pout at the thought.

“Excuse me.” A staff politely approached Seulgi. She was an older woman, maybe in her mid-40s. “Do you have any appointment with anyone in this building? Outsiders can’t stay in here.”

 _Of course_. Seulgi could feel her cheeks fluster. She looked at the staff—a beta—with (hopefully looked like) a shy smile. “I’m sorry, I was… waiting for my wife“

“Oh? Who might your wife be?”

Seulgi fought the growing embarrassment and answered, “Park Joy.”

“Park Joy…” the beta repeated. Suddenly, her eyes went wide in surprise and bowed her head, her body shaking not-so-subtly. “I’m very sorry I didn’t recognize you, Mrs. Kang!”

“It’s okay.” Seulgi stood up, trying to stop the staff from the embarrassing display that was starting to garner attention. She could hear some people chattering and looking at their direction in curiosity. “You don’t have to bow your head please.”

But the woman remained firm and kept her head bowed. Seulgi was starting to panic.

 _What would Jisoo or Joohyun-unnie do in this situation?_ She wondered. She knew Jisoo would just laugh it off but Joohyun would demand a manager and get the woman fired in an instant. However, she was peace-loving Seulgi, and she was already thinking that maybe she did the wrong thing and she was definitely going to kill Jisoo—

“Seulgi!”

_Thank heavens for Wendy._

Seulgi sighed in relief and turned back only to be met by a smiling Wendy and… a surprised Joy.

The omega was dressed in a simple white shirt and blue denim pants paired with white sneakers. There were no traces of makeup in her face aside from lip gloss and faint blush. _That should be illegal_ , Seulgi thought. _How could someone look so good in something_ that _simple?_

“Seulgi-unnie?” Joy remained frozen in her place. Her confused gaze went from Seulgi then to Wendy.

“Seulgi, my bro!” Ignoring Joy, Wendy approached Seulgi and they shared a one-arm hug. Seulgi didn't know why but she could translate the smaller alpha's expression into _“Flowers?”_ and Seulgi softly nodded. Wendy beamed a smile. “What a coincidence!”

Snapping out of her surprise, Joy shot a glare at the shorter alpha. It felt like she was trying to shoot lasers out from her eyes and kill Wendy. “Coincidence, huh.”

Wendy elbowed Seulgi and pointed the flowers. Seulgi hesitantly took it and approached the omega who, once again, looked surprised at the bouquet of sunflowers.

Seulgi didn’t even notice that a small crowd already formed if it weren’t for their swooning and hollering. In the corner of her eye, she even saw a woman taking a video. Seulgi couldn’t care less though, not when the source of her problems was looking at the bouquet with poorly hidden joy in her eyes.

If she knew this was the reaction that she was going to get, she would’ve bought her the biggest one.

“For you,” she said, hoping she sounded confident enough. Joy took the bouquet hesitantly, the sparks in her eyes growing brighter by the minute. Seulgi felt herself melting at the sight.

_Is it just me or did she smile?_

“Thank you,” Joy muttered shyly, avoiding Seulgi’s eyes. There was a small smile on the omega’s face, hidden behind the small bouquet.

 _She smiled!_ Seulgi wanted to dance in victory right then and there.

“Wow, would you look at that time!” Wendy said, looking at her wristwatch. “I still have to do errands for Miss Bae.” She patted Seulgi’s back. “I’ll leave Joy to you.”

Wendy hastily walked out of the building, ignoring Seulgi’s pleading look and Joy’s complaints. Seulgi looked at Joy, steeling her nerves and hoping that Joy won’t reject her this time.

The alpha stretched her hand for Joy to take. “Let’s go?”

And for the first time since last week, Joy finally took her hand with a soft nod.

The ride going to the penthouse was silent, save for the music coming from the radio. Joy was avoiding her gaze as if she was more interested in looking at the building than Seulgi. Seulgi wanted to talk about anything just to destroy this silence that was eating her up. Silence always made the alpha anxious.

“Joy.” Seulgi was going to try. Pride be damned. She didn’t know what to do but she wanted to make it up to Joy—if she did something, that is. “How’s work? Any new offers or projects?”

Joy seemed surprised that Seulgi was initiating a conversation, giving by the way she stiffened on her seat. “I have a shoot for Beauty+ next week.”

“Oh.” Seulgi didn’t know that brand. She doesn’t know many beauty brands at all. _Come on, Seulgi. Say something!_ “That’s… nice.”

Seulgi struggled to keep her poker face as she internally grimaced. _Nice? Seriously? That’s all you have to say? Nice?_ Seulgi wanted nothing but to bury herself on the ground.

However, to her surprise, she heard a muffled laugh. Even if it wasn’t the usual loud laugh she has gotten used to, it was still progress to Seulgi. Her embarrassment was worth it.

_But what do I talk about next?_

Seulgi, in all honesty, wasn’t used to starting conversations. It wasn’t like Seulgi is unfriendly; she was one of the friendliest alphas in her campus back in the days. She was just used to others starting the conversation for her, and her going along to whatever they’re talking about. Even when she entered the business world, she rarely had to initiate the conversation. All she had to do was to introduce herself and suddenly everyone wanted to talk to her already.

She had little to no knowledge about Joy’s profession. The only other model she met was Lisa Manoban, the girlfriend of Jisoo’s cousin, Jennie Kim, who she became close with after learning that the Thai model also takes dancing classes. She only had basic knowledge about the current trends. It wasn’t like Seulgi doesn’t have fashion taste; she could brag that among her friends, she dresses up the best. But she doesn’t care much about the current trends because she doesn’t have time for it.

In short, she had absolutely nothing to talk about.

Well, except for one thing.

“Do you want to get Bok Chicken?”

“I’m on a diet.”

“Diet?” Seulgi glanced at Joy with a frown. “You haven’t been eating well lately.”

“I gained weight,” she answered. Joy looked tired and Seulgi’s heart clenched. “I can’t afford to gain more weight, unnie. I have lots of shoots next we—next month.”

“But you shouldn’t be starving yourself,” Seulgi said, her frown getting deeper. “You skip breakfast and dinner. I heard that sometimes you don’t even eat lunch. That’s not healthy, Joy.”

“Other models even do worse than this…” the omega muttered under her breath, definitely not for Seulgi to hear. But with Seulgi’s sharp hearing, she heard every word and felt a sudden rush of her emotions flooding her chest.

Red light. Seulgi looked at Joy.

“Joy, look at me.” The omega warily turned her head towards Seulgi, tired eyes meeting Seulgi’s persistent ones. “Just because others are doing it doesn’t mean that you should. Losing weight in an unhealthy manner will lead to health problems, and I know you know that.” At that, Joy turned her gaze away. Seulgi remained firm. “If you want to lose weight, tell me. I could find the best dietarian and fitness trainer for you. I could even work out with you, i-if our schedule matches.”

Green light. Seulgi looked away from Joy with a sigh. “All I’m saying is that you don’t have to risk your health for this, Joy.”

Seulgi realized that Joy wasn’t looking at her anymore, facing the window instead. She knew that it was the end of the conversation and Joy would not talk with her anymore. Seulgi wasn’t usually the nosey type but knowing what Joy was doing to her body, she felt like she cannot _not_ intervene.

 _Oh well_. She could already imagine Jisoo scolding her. Her month worth of effort wasted and she didn’t even know what she did. _At least I tried?_

Seulgi resigned herself to the radio silence that she was going to receive from now on. It seemed like luck wasn’t on her side today because, with the deafening silence, there was heavy traffic ahead of her. She didn’t know what was going to kill her first—her hunger or the silence.

Then she heard a faint mumble from Joy.

She looked at Joy. “Joy?”

Joy mumbled something again but still failed to reach Seulgi’s ears.

“Did you say something?”

Suddenly, Joy snapped. “Why are you like this?”

To say that Seulgi was taken aback would be an understatement. Out of all the things that would happen today, she definitely didn’t expect this to happen. All she could do was to sit and look at Joy.

“Why are you so kind to me?” Joy asked. She looked angry but Seulgi couldn’t have imagined the hurt that flashed in her face. Even in the darkness, she saw it in her eyes. “Why are you acting so friendly?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Seulgi knew more than to answer a question with another question but the question spilled out before she could stop herself.

“You’re making things harder!” Joy exclaimed. “We could’ve just acted like we—we’re roommates or something. You don’t have to mind me, and I don’t have to mind you. We’re just roped into this stupid marriage. I don’t even know you. You’re not supposed to be kind, you know? You’re supposed to be—“

“An arrogant, selfish asshole?” _Because that’s how Kangs are_.

That somehow made Joy pause in her tracks. Seulgi saw the guilt filling Joy’s bright eyes.

Seulgi would be lying if she were to say she wasn’t hurt. 

But, thinking about it, she knew where Joy is coming from. She was still a Kang, after all. An alpha at that. She was already used to people expecting her to be an asshole, even after showing that she was just nothing but a harmless bear. She already knew that, but why did it still hurt?

If she were to tell Joy the reason why she was trying to get close, will the omega believe her?

_My nanny used to tell me a story and you remind me of it._

Joy would call her insane and she wouldn’t even deny it.

“Would you prefer me being an arrogant, selfish asshole?” Seulgi asked. “I could be that if that will make things easier for you. Or act like your roommate. Whatever you want.”

Seconds passed and Joy remained silent. Seulgi took it as a sign to continue talking. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet your expectations. You’re now living in my house and I promised your mother I was going to take care of you. Call it pride or whatever, but I plan to keep that promise.”

Joy didn’t answer. She remained still in her seat, hands kept in her lap. Seulgi couldn’t blame the omega for her sudden outburst.

The alpha realized that maybe she was too absorbed thinking that she did something wrong that she didn’t notice what Joy was feeling. Of course, she would feel annoyed (?) with how Seulgi was acting. Never mind that she was sold off to get married to some stranger, a Kang at that, but said stranger was acting too friendly for comfort. Given the nature and the typical stereotype that her last name brought, it would be normal for Joy to suspect that Seulgi had other intentions.

Seulgi wanted to smack herself at the back of her head.

Finally, for what seemed like an eternity, the cars were starting to move again. Maybe there was an accident. Maybe there was someone with a flat tire. Maybe she was distracting herself. She was definitely was.

“I’m sorry,” Joy suddenly said. Her words hung heavy in the silence, guilt laced in her voice. “I didn’t know what came to me. I just…”

Seulgi wasn’t the type to initiate skin contact. But for once, she let herself go and reached for Joy’s hand, squeezing it softly. “It’s okay. Thank you for telling me.”

Seulgi noticed how warm Joy’s hand was but not the warmth that was pooling her cheeks.

In the end, Seulgi ended up getting chicken from Joy’s favorite restaurant. After a mini-debate with what they should order, Joy’s insistence to order half ( _“I only agreed to this because you won’t stop annoying me.”)_ instead of 2 boxes won. Seulgi’s inner alpha scolded her for losing against an omega, but Seulgi didn’t mind since, for the first time in a while, she saw Joy’s genuine smile.

It has been a week since Seulgi has eaten dinner – let alone any meal – with Joy. She was nervous. Why was she even nervous? It’s not like it’s anything grand or significant. It’s just that she was finally alone with Joy without the omega looking like she’d rather die than stay alone in a room with Seulgi.

Okay, maybe she was exaggerating. But it certainly felt like it.

In spite of what happened in the car earlier, dinner with Joy went smoothly. Sure, it started awkwardly but that’s just because of Seulgi being the awkward bear that she is and totally not because she was nervous being around Joy. After she got over the initial awkwardness, Seulgi found herself doing what they used to do a week ago.

Seulgi watched as Joy chattered away, talking about some guy who asked her out in one of her photoshoots this week (Seulgi made a mental note to ask Jisoo about this guy) with a chicken wing in hand. The alpha felt her heart warming up at the sight. She missed this.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you all week,” Joy said with a slight grimace. “Wendy told me about it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Seulgi said. She didn’t even mind that Wendy snitched on her. All is well now and that’s what mattered.

“It’s just…” Joy went on, clearly off to her own world. “I was stressed with all the upcoming projects. Plus, I gained weight and I know I have to lose this sooner or later. And I think—“

“Joy,” Seulgi said with a chuckle. The younger woman’s attention was back on her with a confused furrow of her brow. Seulgi smiled at Joy, hoping it would calm the omega. “It’s okay. I understand. I know we’re not that close—“ Seulgi cringed at this. “—but I hope you know that you can always rely on me.”

Joy stared at her as if she was looking for answers in Seulgi’s face. Despite wanting to look away from the intense gaze she was subjected to, Seulgi held on firmly with a smile. When Joy finally gave a soft smile of her own, Seulgi finished eating her food.

Seulgi finally felt at peace.

“I think my heat is coming.”

Well, some short-lived peace it was.

Without waiting for Seulgi’s reply, Joy went on. “I… I already contacted my doctor and I have an appointment tomorrow.” It was a strange sight. Seulgi wasn’t used to a nervous Joy. “You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to.”

Before Seulgi could open her mouth, Joy stood up, walked towards their room, and closed the door shut.

When the words starting to sink in, Seulgi started coughing uncontrollably. After a few minutes (or seconds? She didn’t know), Seulgi calmed herself. _Am I dreaming?_ Seulgi slapped both of her cheeks for good measure. It stung. _I guess_ not.

Seulgi took her phone and dialed Jisoo’s number.

_“It’s late, Seul. What—“_

“Move all of my appointments for tomorrow,” Seulgi said and gulped. “I need a day off.”

* * *

Seulgi stared at the pregnancy chart.

She already knew about everything in it. From the development of the fetus for the first few weeks, until its organs slowly build, until its heart starts beating, until they become fully developed and ready to come out of the womb. Seulgi always found it amazing how a tiny being could grow into _something_.

She also knew about heats, although more extensively just recently. The night Joy announced that her heat was coming, Seulgi didn’t sleep at all. She already had basic information, courtesy to being friends with Joohyun over the years, but she didn’t know anything other than it happened every quarter of the year and it usually lasts for 4-6 days. She nosedived to her computer, desperately trying to cram everything in that short time.

A few articles later, the alpha realized that maybe this was why Joy was avoiding her. It was said that before an omega goes in heat, it was normal for them to become moody or wary against alphas, especially unmated ones. She sighed in relief, realizing that maybe – hopefully – it wasn’t because of something she did after all.

Seulgi couldn’t remember the last time she slept late for something that wasn’t work-related. But when she woke up with Joy giving her a cup of warm coffee with a similarly warm smile, Seulgi thought it was worth it.

“Unnie?” Joy called out.

Seulgi tore her gaze away from the chart and looked at Joy. The omega was dressed in a fitting, flowery long sleeve paired with skinny jeans. The outfit hugged her curves, showing her slender lines that made Seulgi gulp. Her usual heels were placed for flats which made Seulgi clearly taller than her. Seulgi wasn’t blind. Joy was one of the most beautiful women she has ever laid eyes on.

“Unnie,” Joy called out again. Her eyes were twinkling with amusement, and Seulgi knew she was caught in the act. Seulgi felt her cheeks flush. “It’s almost time for my appointment. Let’s go.”

Without waiting for her reply, Joy went ahead and grabbed Seulgi’s arm. Seulgi allowed herself to get pulled by the younger woman with a smile.

They stopped by a white door with the name “Dr. Im Yoon-ah”, and the words “OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY” below. Joy’s hand slipped to hold Seulgi’s hand instead of her arm and Seulgi hoped that her hand didn’t become clammy with how nervous she was. Joy knocked on the door with her free hand, smiling at Seulgi in reassurance and the alpha returned a nervous smile. After a few seconds, a “Come in” was heard from the other side, and Joy pushed the door open.

“Yoona-unnie!”

Sitting on a white desk, a woman, dressed in a blue collared polo and a white long coat, smiled brightly at Joy. She looked young, Seulgi mused, maybe a little older than her Joohyun-unnie. She had an air of kindness around her that immediately made Seulgi at ease.

“It’s been a long time, Sooyoung,” the doctor said with a fond smile. Seulgi realized that Joy didn’t let go of her hand as they settled on the seats before the desk. Not that she was conscious of it. “I heard you got married. With the way your dating life was going, I thought you wouldn’t be married for the next 10 years.”

“Yoona-unnie,” Joy whined. She glared at the older woman who was still laughing, pouting cutely that made Seulgi want to pinch her cheeks. Joy cleared her throat. “This is Seulgi. My wife.”

“Did she curse you or something?” Dr. Yoona asked, looking so concerned that Seulgi almost thought that she was serious if it weren’t for the playful twinkle in her eyes. If this woman wasn’t a doctor, Seulgi was sure she could be an actress.

“Hey!” Joy’s protest fell on deaf ears.

“Maybe,” Seulgi joked and yelped after Joy gave her a good smack on the shoulder. She smiled not so apologetically at Joy. The omega narrowed her eyes at her before poking her tongue out playfully. Seulgi tried not to stare too hard. (Keyword: tried)

“Ah, of course, show me how happily married you are to remind how single I am,” the doctor said with a chuckle. Seulgi could feel the tip of her ears turn red. Do they really look like a happy, married couple?

Joy finally stopped looking at Seulgi ( _breathe, Seulgi,_ she reminded herself) and turned to look at Yoona instead. “If only you answered—“

“I just remembered I have another patient in an hour,” Dr. Yoona interrupted, bolting out of her seat. She smiled sweetly at Joy, who was smirking in victory. “I’ll be borrowing your wife for a while, Seulgi-ssi. We’ll be back in 20 minutes or less."

Seulgi nodded, already racking up her brain to think of what she should do in those 20 minutes. Twenty minutes was a lot of time but Seulgi was always good with killing time. Maybe she’ll read those articles about omega heats again. Maybe she’ll look at the charts on the walls and find information that she hasn’t learned yet. Maybe she’ll call Jisoo to ask how the company was going. Surely the company is still alive even if she wasn’t there for a few hours, right?

A soft squeeze of her hand stopped Seulgi’s inner ramble. She looked up and saw Joy looking at her with a look she couldn’t decipher. “I’ll be back,” Joy mouthed, eyes crinkling as her lips turned upward. She let go of Seulgi’s hand and walked towards where the doctor went. Seulgi placed a hand on her heart and noticed how it was going wild.

 _Seriously_. Seulgi shook her head. She did those breathing exercises her instructor taught her but it still didn’t calm her racing heart. _What’s wrong with me lately?_

She fished her phone out of her blazer and called Jisoo’s phone.

“ _Boss_ ,” Jisoo greeted. Seulgi could hear Jisoo’s smile over the line. “ _How’s the date?_ ”

“I-It’s not a date,” Seulgi sputtered. She rolled her eyes as Jisoo giggled. “How’s the company going? Any news? Is everything okay there?”

_"Everything’s fine and dandy. Byulyi-unnie can handle the company fine. She’s currently in a meeting with the Ahns about the business deal. I already looked into that guy who asked Joy out in her photoshoot this Wednesday. The company won’t die just because you took a day off. Seul, chill.”_

Chill? Seulgi was chill. She was very, _very_ chill. “Oh,” she breathed. “Good.”

Jisoo giggled again. Seulgi fought the embarrassment that was creeping on her cheeks. _“Yes, boss, it’s good. How’s Sooyoung?”_

“She’s feeling better,” she answered. Jisoo was the second person she told about what happened yesterday, with Wendy as the first. After all, she owed it to her fellow alpha why they were okay now. She omitted the part where Joy had her outburst, thinking that it wasn’t something for her to share. She respected her wife and didn’t want to embarrass her. “She’s with the doctor right now. For a check-up, I think.”

 _“I figured that much.”_ Seulgi tilted her head in confusion. _“You wouldn’t be calling me if Sooyoung was with you unless she asked you. You’re whipped like that.”_

“Whipped? I’m—“

“Who’s whipped?” a familiar voice asked. Seulgi turned her head and found Joy walking out with Dr. Yoona behind her. The doctor was sporting a teasing smirk, making Seulgi’s ears redden in embarrassment.

“N-No one,” Seulgi said just as Jisoo shouted “ _Seulgi_!” from her phone. She dropped the call, mentally noting to text an apology to Jisoo later. Seulgi waited for the doctor and her wife to settle down in their seats before asking, “How is she?”

“Sooyoung’s heat will be coming in 3-4 days,” the doctor announced, the playful persona replaced by a professional one. “Starting tomorrow, she’ll stop using suppressants. Her heat will last for 5 days, it seems. Sooyoung already told me that she’s still on the pill so it’s fine if you guys go all out.”

“Unnie!” Joy exclaimed, her cheeks red, as she glared at the older woman. Seulgi hoped that her cheeks weren’t red because it definitely felt like it was.

“Seulgi-ssi.” Turning serious again, Dr. Yoona looked at Seulgi. “Before her heat starts, make sure that Sooyoung will eat as many carbohydrates and protein if possible. Same goes when her heat starts. Make sure to stock up with bananas, they’re good for replenishing energy. Also, make sure to keep Sooyoung hydrated. The increase in their body temperature will—”

“Wait!” Seulgi wailed, quickly opening her phone and opening her notepad. She jotted down everything Dr. Yoona said so far, and with determined eyes, she said, “Okay, go on.”

She didn’t mind the doctor’s quirked brow of amusement and Joy’s giggles. It wasn’t her fault that she was forgetful, and she wanted to take down everything Dr. Yoona was saying. Seulgi wanted to do her best to make this as comfortable for Joy as she could.

Seulgi was too into her note-taking that she didn’t notice Joy looking at her with an indecipherable look in her eyes.

“That’s pretty much it,” Dr. Yoona finished. Seulgi clicked the word save on her screen and pocketed her phone. “This is the first time I saw an alpha taking notes. They usually stop me from talking, but here you are, asking all the right questions. It seems like you did your research, Seulgi-ssi.”

Seulgi squeaked in surprise, scratching her nape in embarrassment. “Ah, thank you? I guess it’s pretty strange… I think?”

“Being strange isn’t always a bad thing, Seulgi-ssi,” the older woman said with a meaningful smile.

Seulgi and Joy thanked Dr. Yoona for her time. The doctor handed Sooyoung’s prescription and the payment slip to Seulgi. Seulgi thanked her profusely, with Joy pulling her sleeve in embarrassment and the older woman chuckling in mirth.

Before Seulgi closed the door, the doctor called, “Seulgi-ssi!”

The woman turned towards the doctor with a tilt of her head.

“Please take care of Sooyoung, Seulgi-ssi.”

Seulgi smiled at nodded at the older woman. “Don’t worry, Yoona-ssi. “I will.”

After the appointment with Dr. Yoona, Seulgi and Joy decided to go to the nearby grocery to buy all the food that they will need for the past 2 weeks. Their grocery time involved with a lot of arguments (“Unnie, we don’t need 5 bundles of bananas!” “But Yoona-ssi said to stock up on bananas…”) and lots of begging (“Joy, please?” “We don’t need a box of banana milk.” “But it’s your favorite!”).

Seulgi didn’t expect that grocery shopping was this fun. The last time she did was when she was still in college and she didn’t know if buying a box of ramyun is in a convenience store is counted. Maybe she’ll do grocery shopping more rather than just having things ordered. Maybe tag Joy along. _Maybe._

They ate together that evening. They ended up eating in a tiny Chinese restaurant that was the twice size of an average 7-11 store. Seulgi’s parked Porsche was out of place in front of the tiny restaurant, with some onlookers ogling Seulgi’s car in wonder.

“Trust me, unnie!” Joy was grinning in front of her, hand holding hers. “They have the best noodles. You won’t regret it.”

Needless to say, Seulgi started trusting Joy’s food and recommendations after that.

The two of them basked in comfortable silence in their ride home, both satisfied with the food they ate. Seulgi was humming along the song playing on the radio and Joy was scrolling through her phone.

“Unnie,” Joy spoke, barely audible with how soft it was.

Seulgi glanced at the omega. Joy wasn’t looking at her phone now, looking down on her lap instead. “Yes?”

“I…” Joy started unsurely, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Seulgi didn’t know why but she found the action adorable. “I’m not ready yet.”

“Ready? For what?”

“This,” the younger woman said, still sounding unsure. Seulgi preferred the confident, shameless Joy, but this nervous, vulnerable Joy was just as cute. _Wait,_ Seulgi blinked, _what?_ “I’ve never spent my heat with an alpha. I-I’m not ready.”

“Oh.” Seulgi blinked slowly, the weight of her words slowly sinking in. She looked at the road again. “You don’t have to worry about that, Joy.”

Red light. Joy was looking at her and Seulgi looked back with a smile. “Joy,” she said softly, afraid that she might startle the younger woman before her. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. It’s your choice, and I respect what you want to do.”

Maybe it was because of the light or because of her contact lenses but for a moment, Seulgi thought she saw Joy’s eyes become teary-eyed. The omega looked away quickly just as the light turned green.

“Thank you, unnie,” Joy said.

“Anytime, Joy.”

Their ride home was silent but, for once, Seulgi didn’t mind.

* * *

It didn’t take long for the media to know about Joy’s current dilemma. There was someone who saw the two of them going to the hospital and they probably earned big from those pictures they took. Even their shopping trip to the grocery and their dinner in Seulgi’s new favorite Chinese restaurant was documented.

Seulgi got an earful from Joy’s PR manager but she knew if she had the chance to do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing.

When she wasn’t thinking about papers and people trying to bring her down, she was thinking about Joy. There were even a few times that her employees, as Jisoo would say, “caught her slipping”. However, after the news spread, her employees immediately understood why their boss was more out of it than usual. Some older omegas approached Seulgi, asking about Joy and giving her tips in what to do. It reminded her that her employees weren’t just her employees, but they were also her family.

Seulgi even started going home early. She knew it was the right thing to do as her mind was not in her work. After Jisoo insisting and even Joohyun calling, Seulgi finally relented and started going home earlier than usual.

The signs that Joy’s heat was about to come became glaringly obvious in their shared home. Joy’s scent was everywhere, easily overpowering Seulgi’s prominent one. Her scent was strongest in their bedroom, making it hard for Seulgi to sleep in the same bed. After a small argument, it was agreed that Seulgi was going to sleep in the guest room.

“Unnie,” Joy called from the bedroom. Two days have passed since they visited Dr. Yoona. Seulgi was sitting on the couch, reading emails on her tablet. “Can you come over here for a second?”

Seulgi bolted right away, dropping her tablet on the couch. She was standing by the door of their bedroom in an instant. “What is it?”

Joy was dressed in an oversized white shirt (which Seulgi realized, later on, was _her_ shirt), mismatched socks, and nothing more. Seulgi mustered all of her willpower not to look at the omega’s legs. “Can I borrow some of your clothes?”

Seulgi tilted her head in wonder but nodded anyway. “Sure. But what for?”

The alpha noticed how the younger woman’s cheeks suddenly turned red, pointing at the bed. Seulgi followed her finger and noticed heaps of clothes and pillows. Lips forming into an “o”, Seulgi looked at the omega again. “You’re nesting?”

“Unnie,” Joy whined. The tips of her ears were turning red, Seulgi noted, making her smile. Joy folded her arms against her chest and pouted. “I’m nesting. So?”

Seulgi shrugged and raised her hands in defeat. “I’m just asking. My home clothes are in the bottom drawer. Go get as much as you want.”

Joy clapped her hands in glee as she went inside their walk-in closet. After a few minutes and lots of rustling, Joy went out with a bundle of clothes that was half as tall as Seulgi. The omega tilted her head to the side to look at Seulgi, grinning so brightly that Seulgi thought Joy was aspiring to replace the sun.

Joy was so adorable that it made Seulgi’s heart melt.

Not like she’ll ever tell her that.

* * *

Three days passed since they visited Dr. Yoona and Seulgi was on edge.

Seulgi couldn’t keep still, always looking at her phone every minute to check if Joy texted. Whenever her phone vibrated, the alpha would drop everything she was doing just to check if it was the younger woman who texted her.

After what seemed like the hundredth time Seulgi locked her phone again, she was met with her secretary’s annoyed glare. “Seulgi,” Jisoo said with an exasperated sigh. “Calm down.”

“Soo, I can’t—” Her phone vibrated and she looked at her phone, ignoring Jisoo’s eye roll. Not Joy. Okay. “I can’t calm down. Joy’s heat is gonna come anytime soon. I just can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” Jisoo interrupted with a snap. “With Sooyoung’s heat coming, you should get your shit together.” Suddenly, Jisoo froze, eyes turning wide with a frown, and she whipped her head at Seulgi’s direction, making the alpha jolt in surprise. “Are you going to do _it_?”

“ _It?_ ”

“Sex! Sexual intercourse! Bone! Banging! Mattress mambo! Rubbing—“

“Soo!”

Jisoo was laughing like mad. Seulgi wanted to wring her hands on her neck but she didn’t have a mean bone in her (and she didn’t want to be sued). The alpha settled with huffing and glaring at her.

Her secretary picked up the thrown papers, wiping tears as she tried to catch her breath. “Seriously though, are you going to sleep with Sooyoung? I’m telling you if you hurt—“

“Don’t give me the talk,” Seulgi sighed. She already had this conversation with Wendy the other day. The smaller alpha went on to threaten her, and Seulgi learned that her fellow soft alpha could be scary if she wanted to. “We won’t do it, okay?”

“You won’t?” Jisoo sat back on her seat. “But what if it’ll trigger your rut?”

“It won’t.” Seulgi shuddered at the thought. “We agreed we won’t do it since Joy isn’t ready and honestly, I don’t think I am either. And I already asked Dr. Jung to prescribe me suppressants yesterday.”

Jisoo stared at her for a minute. As if she made up her mind, she shook her head with a soft sigh. “Just don’t overdo yourself, Seul. I’ll lessen your schedule for the week and maybe move some meetings so you can go home early. They’ll understand, don’t worry.”

Seulgi could feel herself getting teary-eyed. “You’re the best secretary in the world.”

“Damn right, I am.” Jisoo chuckled, standing up and patting Seulgi’s head. “Let’s go, we have a meeting at 10.”

Seulgi significantly calmed down after her short talk with Jisoo. It felt reassuring that Jisoo was helping her in her own way. She didn’t know how she could survive a week taking care of Joy _and_ big baby men. At least Joy was pleasing to the eye and didn’t give her headaches.

Seulgi stayed late in the office to take care of her heavy work for the week. She texted Joy to tell her that she couldn’t eat with her. Joy replied, **[Aww :(]** and a **[It’s okay, unnie. Don’t skip dinner, okay? Fighting!]** with yellow hearts. Jisoo had to stop her from ditching work because how could Seulgi let her eat alone? Joy's heat was making her sensitive (and extra adorable). Maybe she was lonely and wanted someone to eat with. It was perfectly a valid excuse.

In the end, after Jisoo threatening her to call Joohyun, Seulgi went back to her chair with a pout.

Seulgi was also surprised by the number of employees who decided to overtime after learning that Seulgi was going to stay late today since she was going to take a few days off. Some of her employees even sent her snacks, along with tiny notes that made her heart warm.

“They did that so you could spend more time with Sooyoung,” Jisoo answered when Seulgi asked. She grinned teasingly at Seulgi. “They ship you with Sooyoung even if you guys are married already.”

Seulgi looked up from her papers with a frown. “Ship?”

“Nothing.” Jisoo shook her head but before Seulgi could probe further, her secretary shoved more folders towards her. Seulgi could only frown in confusion but ignored it. She had more pressing matters to turn to rather than knowing what ship meant. _Probably some internet slang, knowing Jisoo._

It was way past 11 in the evening when Seulgi got home. She still had some papers to review for tomorrow but, aside from those, she was good to go. She had a whole week with little to no work. Seulgi had to thank past Seulgi for thinking ahead of time. Who knew pulling all-nighters in those days was worth it?

When she arrived home, most of the lights were off, saved for the one in the kitchen. Seulgi checked the bedroom only to see Joy sleeping soundly in what looked like her college hoodie. She changed the settings of the air conditioner to make it more comfortable for the younger woman and exited the room as quietly as she could.

Seulgi slumped herself on the sofa, taking off her necktie and shrugging off her blazer. The fatigue from today’s work was seeping on her skin, making her drowsier as the seconds pass by. But despite sleep calling to her, she couldn’t bring herself to fall asleep. Her worries were keeping her awake.

She was just staring at the television screen just when her phone started ringing, jolting her out of her daze. _Joohyun-unnie_ , it read.

“Unnie?”

 _“Sorry for calling so late,”_ Joohyun said, her voice soft. _“Were you sleeping?”_

“I just got home,” Seulgi answered sleepily. She sat upright to keep herself from dozing. “I had to finish work in the office.”

 _“Don’t overdo yourself,”_ the older woman chided with her older sister voice, making Seulgi chuckle. That was already the second time someone told her not to overdo herself. Does she overdo herself a lot? _“How’s Joy?”_

Seulgi hummed. “She’s sleeping right now. She’s also eating well and she finished her nest.”

_“How about you, Seul? Are you okay?”_

_I’m okay_ , she wanted to answer. But she knew better than to lie to her Joohyun-unnie. That woman was a psychic or a lie detector test or something. “I’m worried.”

_“Worried?”_

“I’m…” Seulgi collected her thoughts, trying to sound as coherent as she could. “I’m worried I might mess up. I mean, I already my research and I prepared, I think? I don’t know, unnie. What if it’s going to be a repeat of what happened with—“

“She-who-must-not-be-named,” Joohyun interrupted. Seulgi could already see the omega’s annoyed frown. The alpha giggled with a shake of her head.

“ _She who must not be named_. Right. Her.” Seulgi sighed, dropping her head on the headrest of the couch. “I don’t want it to happen again, unnie.”

 _“It won’t,”_ Joohyun said, firm and sure, like she could see the future and knew that Seulgi won’t fuck it up this time. Sometimes, Seulgi wondered if the older woman really is a psychic.

“How sure are you?”

_“Because you’re Kang Seulgi.”_

There she goes again. Whenever Seulgi asked for advice from Joohyun, the older woman would always tell her that. It didn’t make sense but it never failed to make her feel better. Just knowing that someone believed in her, in Kang Seulgi, was enough to lift her spirits. Somehow.

 _“Just do you, Seul. Like how you always do,”_ Joohyun added. She could imagine the omega’s soft smile. _“You’ll be fine. You’re more of a better person than you think you are.”_

“Thank you, unnie,” Seulgi said after letting the words sink in. She wished she could believe in Joohyun, that maybe she was a lot better than she thought herself to be. But every time she remembers that night, she just couldn’t stop remembering S—

 _“You better get some sleep,”_ Joohyun said, yawning. _“It’s getting late. Let’s catch up soon, okay?”_

“Okay, unnie. Try not to be too hard on Wendy later, okay? I love you.”

 _“Nope,”_ Joohyun laughed. “ _I love you too, little bear. Good night.”_

Seulgi ended the call and placed it on the coffee table before her. The alpha closed her eyes, listening to the silence. Joohyun was right. _It’s going to be okay_ , Seulgi thought and patted her chest. _Tomorrow is going to be busy. I still have to go over the business deal with PHC, visit the construction site in Gangnam, buy more food…_

And with all those thoughts in mind, Seulgi fell asleep.

* * *

Seulgi woke up like her body was on fire.

She realized that she was still in her work clothes, her blazer thrown haphazardly on the couch where she was sleeping. Seulgi blinked her wary eyes, wondering why she felt so restless, like she had to do something _right now_.

Then it hit her.

The scent in the air that was calling her.

She took a long, good sniff on the air. Seulgi’s sense of smell was greeted by the familiar scent of honey and jasmine, and something else that was a first for her. Her eyes widen in realization. She was already on her feet before she could register, running towards the master’s bedroom. She opened the door and was attacked by the heavy scent of honey, jasmine, and _Joy_.

Joy’s previously organized nest now a messy heap of clothes. She was sweating from head to toe, her chest heaving heavily as small groans came out of her lips. Seulgi quickly rushed to her side, ignoring the heavy scent coming from Joy that was making her light-headed.

“Joy?” Joy’s temperature was higher than normal, alarming Seulgi. She softly shook the omega’s shoulder, unsure of what to do. “Hey, wake up.”

Seulgi grabbed the towel she placed on the nightstand, wiping the sweat off the younger woman’s face. She shook her shoulder a bit harder. “Joy, wake up.”

Joy slowly opened her eyes. “Unnie?” Her gaze was unfocused as she looked around sluggishly. “Unnie?”

“I’m here, Joy. It’s okay.” Joy’s eyes focused on her, half-lidded and dark. Seulgi could only stare back idly, mesmerized by the unreadable look in Joy’s eyes.

Suddenly, Joy grabbed Seulgi’s collar and yanked the alpha towards herself.

Seulgi doesn’t curse. No, that was more of a Joohyun thing. Her father always told her it was unprofessional to curse. But Joy has always given her a reason to make exemptions.

 _Shit,_ she thought. Like this one.

Joy’s soft lips were pressed harshly against hers. Seulgi froze, a hundred thoughts racing in her mind all at once _._

The omega whined, realizing that Seulgi wasn’t kissing her back. She pushed the alpha back a little, just enough to stare at the eyes of the woman before her. Her chest was heaving, hot breath against Seulgi’s lips. “Seulgi,” Joy said, pleading and wanting and needy. “Please.”

Seulgi could easily overpower Joy and she knew that. She could pry the omega’s hands off. She could push her back and back away. She could list a hundred ways to take Joy’s hands off her. She could do it, if she wanted to.

But maybe it was because of the way Joy looked or the way she said her name or her scent that was intoxicating her—

And Seulgi felt something inside her snap.

Before she could stop herself, Seulgi pushed Joy back to the bed as softly as she could, claiming the omega’s kiss with a hungry kiss. She felt Joy’s arms snake behind her back before settling on her nape, fingers pulling Seulgi’s hair, making her groan.

Their kisses weren’t soft. It wasn’t the loving kisses that Seulgi yearned for. They were harsh; full of nipping and teeth and heavy breaths and tongue. The intensity of their kisses was chipping away the last remains of her sanity, leaving her wanting for more, more _and_ more.

Her moans are filling her with adrenaline. The more she heard it, the more she felt like she had to do more. Joy’s scent didn’t help her either. Her sense of smell was filled with nothing but honey and jasmine and something sweeter that she couldn’t put her finger on. Her skin against Joy’s felt like it was on fire but it felt like it wasn’t enough. She wanted to be burned by the fire that was Park Sooyoung.

Joy was driving her insane.

“Seulgi,” Joy breathed, her hands clawing at Seulgi’s back. “Please, please, please. I want it. I _need_ it.”

_“I’m not ready yet.”_

Then the image of Joy bathed in red light, eyes teary-eyed as she thanked Seulgi, came flashing in the alpha’s mind. The last remaining thread of her sanity was forcing her to pull away even if every single cell in her body was screaming at her to go back.

 _This isn’t what Joy wanted_. The reality of her actions started to sink in her mind, slowly filling her with horror.

“Seulgi?” She looked at Joy’s confused frown, eyes hazy filled with wanton and not the cheeky sparkle that Seulgi wanted to see. Seulgi’s eyes trailed down to her lips, seeing pink lips swollen from all those nipping and rough kisses.

“I’m sorry.” It felt like someone dropped a whole bucket of ice on Seulgi. “Shit. I’m so sorry.”

“Unnie—“

Seulgi ran out of the room, doing her best to ignore the omega behind her because she knew that if she were to look back, she won’t be able to stop herself anymore. She shut her eyes as she leaned against the closed doors, Joy’s pleads and whines from the other side haunting her. She forced herself to let out heavy breaths to calm her wildly beating heart. When her heart stopped beating like she ran a marathon, Seulgi opened her eyes again.

That was when she realized the state she was in. Her polo was crinkled, two buttons now open, almost drenched with sweat. There was a noticeable tent on her pants, her not-so-little friend straining painfully against it.

How could she take care of Joy now? Unless extremely dire, she already promised herself she won’t contact anyone for help. How was she going to tell their friends that she, the saner one between the two, didn’t stop Joy, who was obviously out of it because of her heat, and kissed her back instead?

Seulgi could only chuckle humorlessly at her current situation as she skidded down the floor.

“Wendy’s going to kill me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so,, that happened HAHAHA i'm sorry for the late update! i got busy studying with cets so here's a long (?) chapter! comments are greatly appreciated :) see you all at the next chapter! (oh and belated happy anniversary to rv and snsd!!)


	7. chapter seven

If there was one thing Sooyoung absolutely hated about her heat, it was losing herself.

She’s aware that it’s just a biological thing. It’s like a built-in software; their need to bear children and to have an alpha take them. She hated that it had to be like this violent and brutal and self-agonizing. She hated that she becomes a sex-crazed fiend, only wanting to be filled with an alpha, not thinking about anything but _I want to be filled, I_ need _to be filled, I want an alpha_. 

Sooyoung wasn’t like that. She hated being pushed into the role that she wholeheartedly despised.

She can’t rely too much on suppressants to dampen the effects of her heat if she wanted to have children. She knew, without the influence of her being an omega, that she wanted children when the time (and right person) comes. Sooyoung was a proud omega through and through, but whenever her heat comes around, she couldn’t help but despise it.

So when she wakes up like her body was right under the sun, she started cursing the world for making her an omega. It felt like her insides were burning with a phantom itch inside her. The omega inside her was screaming to get out, to find an alpha, to be filled and claimed and taken.

Sooyoung could only writhe in pain, eyes closed, and felt herself starting to lose consciousness. She knew that if she were to pass out, the omega in her was going to take over. She dug her nails against her palms, hoping that the pain was going to keep her awake.

The heat suddenly intensified when something came in contact with her shoulder, shaking her softly. Beneath hers, Sooyoung picked up a familiar woody-musky scent and a voice calling out to her. “… wake up.”

Sooyoung used all of her strength to open her eyes. A silhouette was standing close. She felt tears forming in her eyes when she couldn’t see _her_. “Unnie?” she called out. “Unnie?”

She knew that Seulgi replied but she couldn’t hear anything. She focused all of her strength and willpower to really look at the person before her. Seulgi was illuminated by the light from the lamp on the nightstand, monolid eyes filled with worry. Her clothes and hair were disheveled. There was a worried frown on her face and Joy couldn’t look away.

_God, why is she so beautiful?_

Sooyoung reached out her hands, grabbed Seulgi’s collar, and the next thing she knew, there were already soft lips against hers.

And, just like that, Sooyoung blacked out.

* * *

Another thing that Sooyoung hated about her heats was losing consciousness.

Not in the literal sense, of course. She’s conscious and she’s aware of it but she’s not _Sooyoung._ She’s omega Sooyoung, the sex-crazed version of herself. If omega Sooyoung was a person separate from her, Sooyoung wouldn’t hesitate to give her a good smack on the face.

Sooyoung would always barely stay conscious for the first two days of her heat. She couldn’t even remember her thoughts or if she’s thinking at all. To Sooyoung, it felt like being underwater. You know there are lights and sounds and everything but, at the same time, you can’t see or hear anything. Sooyoung didn’t know how to exactly explain it because the last time she tried, Hayoung, her stylist who was a beta, looked at her like she grew two heads.

 _A goddess’s thoughts are hard to comprehend by mere mortals_ , she remembered thinking that to comfort herself.

Whenever she was conscious, she always wished she wasn’t. Nobody wants to wake up on stained sheets with sticky clothes and scorching hot body (but not the scorching hot body Sooyoung wished for).

The omega braced herself when she felt herself getting conscious, like swimming to the surface to get air. Imagine her surprise when she realized she was dressed in clean pajamas, was sleeping on clean sheets, and wasn’t drowning in sweat.

But before she could wonder who, what, why, and when, Sooyoung faded back to unconsciousness.

Sooyoung spent the first two days in and out of consciousness, and always in a new pair of pajamas and clean sheets.

* * *

For all omegas, the third day was the worst.

It’s the time when the hormones come rushing down and the phantom itch starts spreading all throughout her body. No matter how much she touched and tried to relieve herself, the phantom itch never went away and simply intensified with every attempt.

If the first two days felt like being submerged in water, the third day felt like being completely blanketed with total darkness. She knew that her omega side was taking full control of herself, doing all things that she would never normally do under all circumstances. But she couldn’t do anything. Not when she’s stuck in this darkness with nothing but her thoughts.

One thing was for sure: she was going to apologize to Seulgi after everything.

She wondered how the alpha was fairing. They already agreed not to do it and Seulgi was the one to keep her promise. Or, at least, that’s what Sooyoung has seen so far. She knew better than to believe an alpha blindly. Sooyoung already learned that the hard way.

But there was something about Seulgi that was just making her want to trust the alpha. Maybe it was because of her dumb, bear smile, or how she always bought her chicken or how she respected Sooyoung or how she’s been showing nothing but kindness even if Sooyoung was acting like a total ass.

Deep inside, Sooyoung knew that she already trusted Seulgi. Trusted the alpha enough to let her take care of her in her heats. Trusted that she was going to respect her, just like what she showed these past days.

Not even her one and only alpha best friend, Wendy, has seen or taken care of Sooyoung in her heats. Wendy always visited after though, only when Sooyoung was sane again and not constantly looking for an alpha to screw her.

She knew this was dangerous. _Seulgi_ was dangerous. Little by little, Seulgi was destroying the walls Sooyoung carefully built around her heart. Her stupid plan to act all bitchy was backfiring all because Seulgi had to be kind, gentle, generous, and dumb rather than the asshole she expected her to be. She never retaliated, and always understood and respected Sooyoung.

 _She’s such a strange alpha_ , she thought.

Was it bad that Sooyoung didn’t want her to stop?

* * *

The fourth day was the same as the first and the second, although she stayed conscious for much longer hours.

It was 8 in the morning when she woke up. The effects of her third day were terrorizing her body, starting from the dull ache in between her legs, sore body (especially her hands and arms), and a non-existent sense of balance. She looked down and saw herself wearing a new pair of pajamas, patterned with adorable, cartoon bears. 

Sooyoung couldn’t stop herself from smiling. The pajamas smelled like Seulgi and lavender fabric conditioner. Kang Seulgi was an adorable person.

Sooyoung felt her stomach rumble. She knew that she’s been eating nothing but bananas since she could still taste the aftertaste. She forced herself to get out of the bed, even if her legs were protesting in pain. Ignoring the tremors of her heat, she went out of the room.

“Unnie?” she called out. Her voice was hoarse and dry. Sooyoung cleared her throat. “Seulgi-unnie?”

No one answered. Sooyoung looked around and realized that the penthouse was deserted. _Where’s unnie?_

She hummed in wonder as she walked towards the kitchen. On the counter, there was a bowl covered by a lid with a yellow sticky note on top. Sooyoung took a banana from the fruit basket and chewed on it as she read the note.

_i don’t know if you’ll be able to read this but i read that omegas usually get conscious on day 4… i’m not sure. btw! i’ll be buying groceries! and i left tteokbokki… do you like tteokbokki? hehe i’ll be back! –seulgi_

Sooyoung shook her head, giggling to herself. She didn’t know why but she could hear Seulgi’s voice when she was reading the note. Everything about the note was just so Seulgi, especially with her personal signature above her name. 

The omega grabbed a spoon, threw the banana peel, and sat on one of the bar stools. When she opened the lid of the bowl, she was greeted with the familiar scent of sweet and spicy sauce. Sooyoung’s stomach grumbled and wasted no time to gobble all the food down.

 _Why does this taste familiar?_ Sooyoung wondered three spoons later. She checked the label of the bowl and, to her surprise, it was from her favorite tteokbokki shop. It was the one in a narrow alley near Seulgi’s office; a small shop but with high-quality tteokbokki. _She remembered?_

Sooyoung was so engrossed with eating and thinking that she didn’t notice the door opening. She jolted with a yelp when she heard the door shut loudly.

“Joy?” Sooyoung heard Seulgi from the living room.

“I’m in the kitchen, unnie!” Sooyoung said as she hurriedly finished eating the rest of the tteokbokki. She didn’t know why her heart was fluttering and why she seemed anxious all of a sudden. _Effects of the heat_ , she reasoned, even when she knew it wasn’t. 

Seulgi emerged from the living room. She was wearing her go-to bomber jacket – the one that boggled Sooyoung because Seulgi was just wearing it casually when it was a _Saint Laurent_. It should be illegal to casually wear a jacket that expensive andlook so damn good with it.

The alpha placed the paper bags she was carrying on the counter and looked at Sooyoung with a smile. “I’m sorry I took so long.” Her smile turned sheepish and Sooyoung’s chest bubbled. 

“It’s okay, unnie.” The younger woman smiled back. It almost felt like just seeing Seulgi’s smile washed away all of her exhaustion from the past days. _Almost_. “I just woke up.”

“Are you hungry?”

Seulgi looked so hopeful, so _something_ , that Sooyoung didn’t have it in her to say no. Besides, she really was hungry. “Yes.”

Seulgi’s smile turned so bright Sooyoung swore she was going to get blinded. She immediately sifted through the bags, taking out the things she brought. With sheer amusement and half terror, Sooyoung realized that everything Seulgi bought was the expensive ones. “Do you want to eat ramyun?” 

“Sure.”

Sooyoung watched idly as Seulgi skipped towards the shelves, taking out a golden-colored pot, humming to herself. Before the older woman started cooking, she took off her jacket and – _oh._

Sooyoung’s throat went dry.

Seulgi was wearing a white muscle tee.

As a model, Sooyoung has worked with various types of bodies. She has worked with extremely skinny models and men whose bodies looked straight out of a Greek sculpture. However, Seulgi was far from those. So why was Sooyoung drooling at the sight of those biceps?

She didn’t know why she couldn’t take her eyes off those lean biceps when it wasn’t even half of those bulging muscles of the men (and some women) she worked with before. But the more Sooyoung stared, the more obvious it became that Seulgi worked out a lot, judging how well-formed they are. She was just curious that’s why she was staring. Definitely not because she finds it hot or something. Definitely not.

 _I wonder_ , a more sinister version of her voice said, _how it would feel like if it’s wrapped around your body as she fu—_

She felt a familiar, hot coil in her stomach and she unconsciously let out a moan.

_Oh no._

Fortunately (or unfortunately?), Seulgi mistook the moan she let out for something else. “Joy?” Seulgi turned off the stove and turned around, eyebrows knitted in a worried frown. Sooyoung finally had a view of Seulgi’s prominent collarbones and toned arms and— _why is it getting hot?_ “Are you okay?”

“Don’t!” Sooyoung yelped as Seulgi tried to move closer. Her nose caught a whiff of the alpha’s smell and she felt tremors in the back of her spine. “Um, m-my heat is back. I have to go back to the bedroom.”

And her legs just had to give out when she’s getting off the stool.

_Crap, crap—_

Just like in the scene from that cheesy soap opera Sooyoung often watched with Wendy, Seulgi swooped in and caught Sooyoung before she crashed on the floor.

“Let me help you,” Seulgi said. Sooyoung almost didn’t hear what she said with the way her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears. Her senses were quickly overpowered by everything Seulgi, and she could feel the threads of her sanity snapping as the seconds passed by.

Then, the cherry on top of the situation, Sooyoung felt smooth arms dropping behind her legs and her back. In one swift motion, Sooyoung felt Seulgi lift her up—

“Unnie!”

—and found herself in a bridal carry in Seulgi’s arms.

“It’s okay.” Seulgi chuckled breathily, warm breath against Sooyoung’s cheeks, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. “I won’t let you fall.”

Sooyoung could feel her cheeks flush and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her heat. Feeling her heart drum loudly against her chest, Sooyoung threw away her pride, hesitantly wrapping her arms around Seulgi’s nape and hid her face on the crook of the alpha’s neck.

Seulgi’s scent enveloped her like a warm blanket on a rainy day. The omega that was clawing against her chest seemed to calm down at the scent of the alpha. Sooyoung took an experimental sniff, the now-familiar scent washing down like a calm wave.

If Seulgi knew that Sooyoung was sniffing her, at least she didn’t say anything. 

She tried to distract herself. Tried her damn hardest to keep her mind away from the scent of wooden musk and honeysuckle and jasmine, the feel of tense muscles beneath her legs and back, and the vibrations she felt against Seulgi’s throat, telling her that Seulgi was actually talking to her (not that she could hear). But, even if she counted sheep or visualized a pooping dog, her mind always diverted back to Seulgi.

With a little grunt (that wasn’t hot— _no_ , her panties were already drenched beforehand and it was definitely not because of that), Seulgi softly placed her down on the bed. Sooyoung was still frozen, her mind trying to keep the omega at bay at least until the older woman gets out and processing what the actual hell just happened.

“Do you want me to lower the air conditioner?” 

“It’s okay.”

“Do you want to eat ramyun later?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Seulgi nodded, more to herself than to Sooyoung. She stood up, fidgeting awkwardly. “I’ll cook it later so it’ll still be warm when you wake up.” Then Seulgi showed her that soft, eyes-closed smile that made her cheeks puff, and Sooyoung thought that maybe she was melting a little bit inside. “I’ll see you later, Joy.”

Seulgi walked away and out of the door, closing it with a soft click.

Sooyoung rolled to her stomach, buried her face on the pillow, and screamed.

* * *

The last day came. Sooyoung woke up feeling significantly a lot better than the past few days. Sure, her hands were cramped and both her arms and legs were sore, but at least she was always clean (as clean as an omega in heat could get) and alive.

But then her stomach grumbled and an indescribable craving to eat chicken took over her urge to get fucked.

 _Bok Chicken_ , specifically.

“Unnie, please,” Sooyoung whined, not even caring that she was looking like she’s a spoiled brat. She was Park Sooyoung—model extraordinaire, heiress of the Park Group, wife of _the_ Kang Seulgi, ultimate chicken lover—and she was going to get whatever the hell she wanted.

“No,” Seulgi answered. Her lips were on a thin line but it was clear in her eyes that her resolve was breaking. Who could resist Park Sooyoung when she acts all whiney? Maybe Wendy but that's mostly because the small alpha already saw Sooyoung at her worst state. “Joy, your heat isn’t over yet. It won’t be good for you to go out.”

“But, unnie,” Sooyoung whined again, latching on Seulgi’s arm for good measure. She ignored the small gasp that came from the alpha, even if her inner omega was beaming with pride. “I want chicken.”

“W-We can just get it delivered.” Seulgi looked away and slowly pulled her arm out of Sooyoung’s reach.

Sooyoung pouted. If it was because of the denial of her rights or her source of heat slipping away, she didn’t know. “It’s different! The atmosphere, the background of people talking, sitting on those wooden seats, the smell of food in the air – it makes the chicken even more delicious, unnie! Trust me, I’m a chicken connoisseur.”

An amused smile made its way to Seulgi’s lips. Sooyoung took it as a sign of her approaching victory.

It was time to bring out the big guns. Sooyoung moved close to Seulgi and stared into her eyes, pouting her lips, and said with the cutest voice she could muster, “Please, Seulgi-unnie?”

Seulgi, with her head leaned back as far as she could from Sooyoung’s face, was sporting an expression torn between exasperation and amusement. Finally, Seulgi sighed and shook her head. “Fine.”

“Yay!” Sooyoung grinned, making a small fist pump on the air.

“In one condition.”

Sooyoung looked at Seulgi with anticipation and determination in her eyes and nodded. “Yes?”

“I’ll go with you.”

“What?”

Seulgi crossed her arms. “Like what I said, it’s still dangerous for you to go out. At least I’ll be there if something happens. Is that okay?”

 _Well, as long as I’ll get chicken…_ “Okay,” the omega said and nodded again. “But I’ll pay.”

Before Seulgi could say another word, Sooyoung already made a dash for the door. She stopped by the door and watched as Seulgi flashed her trademark Seulgi smile—the eyes closed, cheeks puffed smile—and Sooyoung had to pretend it was just the heat that made her heart skip.

 _Just the heat,_ she thought and placed a heart on her chest. _Just the heat._

She didn’t even notice Seulgi was already standing before her, hand outstretched. “Let’s go?”

And, just like what she always does, Sooyoung took her hand with a smile and a nod.

The car trip consisted of Sooyoung singing to random songs and Seulgi consistently asking if the younger woman was really sure if she wanted to go there rather than just have it delivered like a normal person who wasn’t supposed to go out yet. Sooyoung always answered with a long rant about fried chicken and the atmosphere and such. Still, it didn’t stop Seulgi from asking every 5 minutes.

As usual, Seulgi’s car (a shiny, black BMW this time since her Porsche was in the car shop for tuning) was out of place. Sooyoung had to wear glasses just in case some paparazzi spot them again while Seulgi was wearing an oversized coat with a brown scarf that made her look fluffy and, well, adorable.

Sooyoung just _had_ tostare.

Seulgi seemed to notice Sooyoung boring holes on the side of her head. “What?” 

_You look like an adorable teddy bear_ , was what Sooyoung wanted to say. Even if she already lost maybe half of her dignity with her embarrassing display earlier, Sooyoung still wanted to – or at least, _try_ to – salvage the rest of her remaining pride. So instead, she grabbed Seulgi’s hand and pulled her inside, hoping that the older woman couldn’t see the flush of her cheeks. “I’m hungry.”

When Sooyoung and Seulgi went in, they were immediately greeted by the owner of the small restaurant. Jung Minjee was a 64-year-old woman of wisdom and wide smiles that reminded Sooyoung of her own grandmother. The old woman beamed at the sight of Sooyoung.

“Doongdoongie!” Minjee greeted as she walked closer towards Sooyoung. Sooyoung noticed the amused look coming from the woman beside her and pretended that she didn’t. “It’s been so long since you last came here.”

“I know, halmeoni,” Sooyoung said with a rueful smile and gave the small, old woman a hug. “I’m sorry I haven’t been visiting lately. I was swamped with projects and didn’t have time to come here personally.”

“You don’t have to say sorry,” the older woman said affectionately. She turned to look at Seulgi. “Your wife here is a very good company, you know? Why didn’t you tell me you were dating such a good woman?”

_Because I wasn’t really dating her, and it was just an arranged marriage._

“We wanted to keep it a secret,” Sooyoung said as she laced her arm around Seulgi’s, who stiffened at the contact. With a sickly sweet smile, she looked up to Seulgi. “Right, babe?”

“B-Babe—“ Sooyoung gripped a bit tighter on Seulgi’s arm. “R-Right. I, uh, we didn’t really want the attention?”

“I see. Our Doongdoongie is quite famous after all.” Minjee nodded in understanding. After a beat, she laughed. “Gosh, I’m getting carried away. Come, I’ll take you to your table.”

Sooyoung and Seulgi followed the old woman to their seat. It was Sooyoung’s usual place; a table for two located near the little open space where a small garden could be found. The two of them sat across from each other.

“I’ll go get your usual,” Minjee said. “And for your wife?”

Sooyoung ignored the flutter of her heart when she heard it, even if her mind replayed it a few more times. _Your wife, your wife, your—_ “Just as the same as mine,” she said and the old woman responded with a nod. “Thank you, halmeoni!”

Sooyoung waited for Minjee to go to the kitchen before turning to look at Seulgi.

“I didn’t know you knew the owner,” she said as an infuriating (attractive) teasing smile grew on her face, “Doongdoongie.”

“Don’t.” Sooyoung glared at Seulgi, whose smile simply grew wider. The omega rolled her eyes and sighed, turning her head to look at the flowers outside, illuminated by a lamp. “I discovered this place back when I was still a trainee,” she started. “I was on a strict diet and I got really, really hungry. I started roaming around to distract myself and stumbled to this place. Minjee noticed me just standing outside and she invited me in. I told her I wasn’t allowed to eat she served me chicken anyway. Told me that she wasn’t going to sell anything if I didn’t eat. I got guilty so I ate one. The next thing I knew, I already finished a basket.” Sooyoung laughed and looked at Seulgi. “I got scolded by the trainer when I got back. But you know what? It was worth it. Whenever I’m sad or stressed or just want chicken, I always go here.”

“Then what was that earlier?” Seulgi asked.

 _Play dumb._ “What was what?”

“That…” Seulgi’s cheeks started to flush. Sooyoung stared, a little bit more intensely, and she was sure that Seulgi’s cheeks turned a little redder. “When you, um, called me…” Seulgi paused. “… b-babe. Was that really necessary?”

_Indeed, was that really necessary, Park Sooyoung?_

“Yes,” she answered, more to herself than to Seulgi. She cleared her throat. “Unnie, I can’t let her know we’re not married in _that_ sense. She doesn’t know I’m rich.” 

“She doesn’t what?” Seulgi exclaimed, earning stares from people sitting from other tables. Sooyoung looked at them and said her apologies, then slapped Seulgi’s arm.

“Don’t shout,” Sooyoung hissed at Seulgi with a glare. Seulgi pouted and rubbed her arm.

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

“It just slipped off my mind, okay?” Sooyoung huffed and crossed her arms. “And I didn’t find the need to.”

“Need to what?”

The couple jumped in their seats in surprise and whipped their head towards the source. Minjee was standing beside their table, two plates of freshly cooked chicken wings in hand. She laughed, almost shyly, as she settled the plates. “I’m sorry, this old lady didn’t mean to interrupt your lovey-dovey time.”

“Wha—“

“It’s here!” Sooyoung interrupted before Seulgi could say anything. Her mind was racing and she could feel the blush creeping on her cheeks. _Do we really look like a couple?_ She couldn’t help herself but wonder. Well, they’re not (and Sooyoung was just a _tiny_ bit regretful). “Ah, I was just getting hungry. You’re honestly the best, halmeoni!”

“You’re still a flatterer, Doongie,” Minjee laughed. “Enjoy your meal.”

Sooyoung picked up her chopsticks and grinned. “Dig in, unnie!”

Seulgi simply sighed and did what she was told. After the first bite of the chicken, her eyes went as wide as saucers as she continued to munch. “Ish delicioush.”

Sooyoung didn’t swoon. Okay, maybe just a little bit. But she had a reputation to keep, right?

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said with snark that didn’t really reach her eyes. Seriously, how could she act all mean when Seulgi was just _that_ adorable?

The two ate in comfortable silence with a few comments inserted in-between. After a mini-debate on who can eat more chicken wings, the two ended up having a competition on who can eat more. Sooyoung said screw her diet, she was 

Needless to say, Seulgi won.

“Do you have a black hole in your stomach?” Sooyoung asked in disbelief. “How did you finish 3 plates? There were like, 8 pieces of chicken in each.” Sooyoung’s eyes widened as she did the math. “Unnie, you ate 24 pieces!”

Seulgi snickered. “I did say I can eat more than you, Miss Chicken Connoisseur.”

“Whatever.” Sooyoung rolled her eyes and took her wallet. “I’ll go pay.”

“You’re just bitter!”

Sooyoung looked over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue at Seulgi. The alpha simply laughed, eyes disappearing and cheeks puffing. Sooyoung didn’t have it in her to be mad at Seulgi, even if her pride as a self-proclaimed chicken connoisseur was wounded.

She walked towards the cashier and found Minjee looking at her with an amused smile. “I’m glad you found someone you like, Sooyoung.”

“What?” Sooyoung felt her cheeks turn red. The smile Minjee gave her made her feel self-conscious. Like the old woman knew something she didn’t.

Minjee looked over Sooyoung’s shoulder. Sooyoung followed Minjee and saw Seulgi looking at her. Like a criminal caught in the act, Seulgi guiltily looked away and started to play with the tissues on the table.

“She makes you happy,” Minjee spoke again. Sooyoung jerked in surprise and looked at Minjee. “Does she?”

Sooyoung paused. Did Seulgi make her happy? She didn’t know. But she did make her feel contented. Maybe even safe. And, okay, _maybe_ a tiny bit happy. Sooyoung glanced at Seulgi again, seeing her fold the tissues into tiny little airplanes, and shook her head with a sigh. “Yeah, she does.”

Minjee didn’t say anything anymore, only nodding at Sooyoung’s words with a smile. 

After paying, Sooyoung went back to the table, grinning at Seulgi. “Wanna go for a walk?”

Seulgi responded with a nod and a smile that blinded Sooyoung.

One thing Sooyoung loved about eating in Bok Chicken was that its location was close to the Han River. Whenever she goes there to clear out her head, she can always go to Bok Chicken and eat. Whenever she finished eating in Bok Chicken, she can always go to the river and reflect.

The two walked side by side with their hands linked together. Sooyoung often found herself in silence with Seulgi. She has always been a fan of silence yet it only comes around when she’s alone. After all, when she was with other people, she had to be Park Joy – friendly and loud and flirty. But with Seulgi? She was just Sooyoung.

 _Scary,_ she thought. She stared at the river, watching the moon reflect on the rippling waters and feeling the grass beneath her. Sooyoung shivered when a gush of cold wind came. _Why did I decide not to bring a jacket today?_

 _Because you’re distracted,_ a voice in her mind that strangely sounded like Wendy told her. Sooyoung wanted to refute but who was she kidding? She was very much distracted... thinking. About projects and stuff. Not about the pretty woman with sunshine for smiles who was more or less her wife.

Suddenly, she heard soft rustles of grass beside her and before she could look at Seulgi, something warm wrapped her shoulders down to her arms. She stared at Seulgi as the older woman smile at her shyly before she settled back to her place with a small “oomph”.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not cold.”

Sooyoung wanted to say “I didn’t ask” but when Seulgi flashed her a smile, Sooyoung couldn’t find the usual snark in her. Instead, she said, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

The two fell into silence again. Sooyoung pulled the jacket closer to herself, soaking in the warmth that almost felt like she was being hugged by the person beside her. But it wasn’t like she was imaging it herself, she just had a very wild imagination.

And she’s not in denial.

She heard soft rustles again. She discreetly peaked at Seulgi and saw the older woman fidget anxiously with the grass. Sooyoung frowned at the sight. There was something Seulgi wasn’t telling her, her sixth sense told her (Wendy said that she was a great bullshit/secrets detector and Sooyoung took pride in that). She grabbed a tiny twig and poked Seulgi’s side, making the woman jump in surprise.

“What is it?” Sooyoung asked, still frowning.

Seulgi chuckled nervously. _A sign._ “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me.” Sooyoung’s eyes narrowed at the alpha. “What is it?”

“It’s…” Seulgi started before trailing off. Then she shook her head and looked down at the grass again. “It’s nothing.”

“Unnie,” Sooyoung sighed. She shuffled a bit so that she could face Seulgi. She waited until Seulgi turned to look at her. Her heart may or may not ached a bit when she saw Seulgi’s dejected look and little sad frown. “Remember what you said a few days ago?” Seulgi tilted her head in question, making Sooyoung smile. “It was something along the lines of _we’re not that close but you can rely on me_. And let me tell you, unnie, you can rely on me too.”

Sooyoung wanted to hit herself because _wow_ , that was cheesy and very un-Joy-like. But seeing the way Seulgi’s eyes lighted up and the small smile slowly forming, Sooyoung thought that maybe – just maybe – she should do this more often.

After a moment, Seulgi muttered, “I have something to tell you.”

“Yes?” Sooyoung was getting nervous. She didn’t know why but seeing this serious and somber Seulgi didn’t sit right with her. Seeing the alpha not wearing her usual Seulgi smile was off-putting and, frankly, it was scaring Sooyoung.

_Never trust alphas._

Sooyoung tensed. All the bad thoughts were instantly dumped inside her brain, from the worst-case scenarios to the not-so-bad ones. Her heart started to race, Seulgi’s silence and nervous energy amplified her worries.

 _What if…_ Sooyoung shook her head. Seulgi wasn’t that kind of person. She was respectful, kind, and gentle. Besides that, she promised that she won’t do anything.

_But what if she did?_

After what felt like an eternity, Seulgi finally spoke in one breath, “WemadeoutonyourfirstdayandI’mveryverysorry.”

Sooyoung blinked. “What?”

Seulgi looked at her, looking like a deer caught in headlights. When their eyes met, Seulgi looked down again, as if looking at the grass was the best thing to do in the world. “We… um, on your first day… uh,” Seulgi cleared her throat, “we, you know, I… ah.” Then, with the softest voice, she mumbled. “We made out.”

Sooyoung blinked again. “Ha?”

“We made out,” Seulgi repeated louder. She hung her head and Sooyoung could see a resigned look on her face. Sooyoung thought how it didn’t fit Seulgi. How Seulgi didn’t look good with dark clouds on her face. “I know I promised I won’t do anything and I broke it. I understand if you hate me or if you don’t want to see me. I’m really sorry, Joy, I—“

Sooyoung busted out laughing.

“What?” Seulgi looked confused and rightfully so. She frowned worriedly, so adorable and innocent, that it made Sooyoung laugh a bit louder. “Are you okay, Joy?”

 _Am I okay?_ Sooyoung didn’t know. She didn’t even know why she was laughing. She just found it amusing how her mind went over a hundred scenarios and she didn’t expect it was just _this_. This situation was so Seulgi and she was really glad that she waited before jumping into conclusions (something she often does no matter how hard she tries).

Seulgi, even after everything, was still Seulgi.

“Joy?” the alpha asked, still looking so genuinely concerned.

“Ah.” Sooyoung wiped the tears on the corner of her eyes. She looked at Seulgi with a teasing glint in her eyes. “Was I a good kisser?”

“W-What?” Seulgi looked like she ate a pack of hot chili with the way her face was heating up. 

“I said, was I a good kisser?”

Seulgi blinked once, twice, then asked again, “What?”

“Fine, you don’t have to answer me,” Sooyoung said then grinned cheekily. “I know that I am.”

Seulgi raised her eyebrows in disbelief with a scoff. “Wow, sometimes I wonder where you get your confidence from.”

“I’m a natural, unnie.”. She watched as the dark clouds disappear from the alpha’s face, replaced by a smile that she was used to seeing. “But, kidding aside, it’s okay. I mean it.”

Seulgi’s shoulders sagged. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Sooyoung smiled She hoped it was just as reassuring as the smile Seulgi gave her back in the car when Sooyoung embarrassingly snapped. It was a smile so soft, so hopeful, that it instantly made Sooyoung at ease. _Or maybe that was just her powers._ “Honestly? I imagined every worst-case scenario. You’ve already done so much for me, Seulgi-unnie. Let’s just agree to call it a little accident.”

“But I—“

“Did you touch me?” Sooyoung asked with a raised brow.

Seulgi shook her head so fast Sooyoung was afraid she might get whiplashed. “No, never.”

Sooyoung ignored how the “never” stung a bit. “Did you purposely do it or was there a pull that made you do it?”

“The latter?”

“Did you stop?”

“Yes."

“Then there you go.” Sooyoung nodded to herself proudly like she just answered the world’s greatest mystery. “Unnie, if there’s anything you should blame for what happened, it’s my heat. You were resisting the pull pretty well and even took care of me. You’ve done more than enough, unnie. Don’t be too harsh on yourself..”

“But—“

“Sshh.” Sooyoung placed a finger on Seulgi’s lips. _Soft_ , she noted. _A little chapped and cold, but soft._ “Unnie, I can’t blame you for doing it. After all,” Sooyoung grinning cheekily, “who could resist me?”

“Sure,” she drawled out and wait, _did Kang Seulgi just roll her eyes at me?_ Seulgi stood up and reached out her hand. “Let’s go home?”

 _Home_. 

Sooyoung took her hand. “Let’s go home.”

Sooyoung looked at Seulgi as they walked towards the car, their hands intertwined. She couldn’t help but think about how the kiss happened. Sooyoung acted like it didn’t bother her but it did. Strangely enough, what bothered her wasn’t the fact that they kissed but it was that she couldn’t remember. Were they soft kisses? Or rough? Did Sooyoung bite on Seulgi’s lips? How did it feel like?

Was it bad that she wanted to know?

Was it bad that she wanted to try again?

_Just for research purposes, of course._

* * *

When Sooyoung woke up, it was dark and cold.

 _What time is it?_ The omega thought, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. She glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. In blaring red lights, the clock read **3:23 AM**. Sooyoung sighed, plopped back to bed, and nuzzled her head against the hand she was holding.

Wait.

_Hand?_

Sooyoung lifted her head and almost screamed in surprise when she came face-to-face with a sleeping Seulgi. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears burned as the memories of what happened after they got home flashbacked in her head like in a cheap drama. She buried her face back to the pillow, fidgeting as subtle as she could to avoid waking up the sleeping bear and silently screamed.

( _“Stay with me.”_

_“Huh?”_

_Sooyoung, with a half-asleep mind, scooted to the right side of the bed and patted the vacant portion. “Stay.”_

_“I…” Seulgi gulped and scratched her temple nervously. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”_

_Sooyoung pouted. What Sooyoung wants, Sooyoung gets._

_“Unnie,” she whined and tugged Seulgi’s sleeve. “I just want company.”_

_“Joy…“_

_“Please, Seulgi-unnie?”_

_Seulgi pinched the bridge of her nose and Sooyoung knew she won. “Okay. Let me brush my teeth first.”_ )

She didn’t know what in the world was going inside her sleep-deprived brain when she did that. Sure, Wendy told her that she was clingy when she was half-asleep and she knew that her raging hormones courtesy of her heat was making her extra clingy, but she didn’t know it was _this_ bad.

_I should just move away somewhere. Fake my death, get a new name, live in a new city. Maybe change my face. Wait, I think it’d be a waste—_

A soft snore interrupted her thoughts. Sooyoung stopped thinking about her (perfect) runaway plan. She slowly lifted herself up using her free hand.

Seulgi was still sleeping, blissfully unaware of Sooyoung’s plans to move away to another country to save her face from shame, looking absolutely adorable with her glasses perched on her nose and mouth open wide.

_Is she really an alpha?_

Seulgi was very un-alpha-like, even more so than her best friend. Seulgi was soft, gentle, mild-mannered, and did Sooyoung mention soft? It almost seemed as if the alpha didn’t have a mean bone in her body and she was just, well, Seulgi.

_Or maybe it’s an act to let your guard down._

But Sooyoung couldn’t see it that way. Even if the warning signs in her head kept on reminding her not to trust the alpha, Seulgi made the warning signs seem useless. All her doubt and wariness towards her was melting even faster than an ice cream exposed to the afternoon sun. Even Wendy didn’t have this effect on her.

_Who even wears their glasses in their sleep?_

She moved closer to her, careful not to wake up the sleeping bear, and slowly removed the glasses she was wearing. She placed Seulgi’s glasses on the nightstand and readied herself to plop back in bed.

However, Sooyoung made the mistake of looking at her face, and now, like she was entranced in a spell, she couldn’t look away.

She already knew before that Seulgi was beautiful. Even if the pictures she saw before their wedding didn’t justify the beauty Seulgi had in person, it was already obvious from the way she stood that she was charming and good-looking. Still, no matter how many times Sooyoung looked at her, it never stopped her growing fascination. In fact, the more she spent time with her, the more she wanted to see more of the beauty that was Kang Seulgi.

Seulgi had the softness that was unbecoming of an alpha but the sharp lines of her jaw made up for it. Sooyoung wondered how it would feel like to pinch the alpha’s cheeks. Would it feel like pinching a mocha or a marshmallow? _I should ask unnie someday_.

Her heart ached with guilt and gratitude when she noticed the dark circles under the Seulgi’s eyes. Seulgi promised her that she was going to take care of her but Sooyoung didn’t expect that the older woman was going to such lengths just for her. Seulgi sacrificed so much for her, starting from the sleepless nights, the suppressants, the week absence from the company, and so much more. All Sooyoung did was be mean and run away, and it became clearer than ever that Seulgi didn’t deserve the treatment Sooyoung gave her.

 _Stupid Sooyoung._ She sighed. _I should treat unnie after this._

Sooyoung tried to move her hand away when the cover suddenly slipped, making her lean impossibly close to Seulgi. Her breath was caught in her throat, feeling Seulgi’s warm breath against her face and the familiar scent filling her nose.

She couldn’t look away.

Sooyoung heard her heartbeat in her ears and felt the heat creep on her neck. The air felt cool against her skin yet she was burning inside. Sooyoung was treading on dangerous waters and she was aware of it. It was a territory that she has been before. A territory that terrified her to her wit's end.

Her eyes trailed down the alpha’s lips. It looked soft, inviting.

 _Never trust alphas,_ the same voice said but this time it was weaker.

_Screw it._

Sooyoung held her breath. She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on the unconscious bear’s cheek.

_What the hell, Sooyoung?_

“That was a thank you kiss,” she said to herself when she distanced herself. She didn’t even know why she was saying that and who she was convincing. Herself? Seulgi who wasn't sleeping? Her guardian angel who was probably judging Sooyoung? “A thank you kiss, that’s all.”

She plopped herself back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn’t hear anything but her heartbeat, couldn’t feel anything but the warm hand she was holding, couldn’t think of anything else but _what the hell, why did I do that, what—_

“What are you doing to me, Kang Seulgi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for the late update but it's finally here! i joined a study group for cets and now it's beating my ass :') thank you for the kudos and comments! see you on the next chapter!
> 
> (also i need someone to kick me in the ass and remind me to write :') hmu in twt @smolwndy if you want to hehe)


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